Antisense modulation of insulin-like growth factor binding protein 5 expression

ABSTRACT

Antisense compounds, compositions and methods are provided for modulating the expression of insulin-like growth factor binding protein 5. The compositions comprise antisense compounds, particularly antisense oligonucleotides, targeted to nucleic acids encoding insulin-like growth factor binding protein 5. Methods of using these compounds for modulation of insulin-like growth factor binding protein 5 expression and for treatment of diseases associated with expression of insulin-like growth factor binding protein 5 are provided.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides compositions and methods for modulating the expression of insulin-like growth factor binding protein 5. In particular, this invention relates to compounds, particularly oligonucleotides, specifically hybridizable with nucleic acids encoding insulin-like growth factor binding protein 5. Such compounds have been shown to modulate the expression of insulin-like growth factor binding protein 5.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The insulin-like growth factor (IGF) family includes insulin-like growth factors type I and II (IGF-I and IGF-II) which are structurally related to pro-insulin. IGFs act as potent mitogens to regulate somatic growth, cellular proliferation, and cellular differentiation. Their action is determined by the availability of free IGFs to interact with IGF receptors. The level of free IGFs in a cell is modulated by the rate of IGF production and clearance, and also by their interaction with insulin-like growth factor binding proteins (IGFBPs) and IGFBP-related proteins (IGFBP-rPs) (Wetterau et al., Mol. Genet. Metab., 1999, 68, 161-181).

The superfamily of insulin-like growth factor binding proteins comprises six IGFBPs that bind to IGFs with high affinity, and an emerging group of nine IGFBP-related proteins which bind to IGFs with lower affinity. Cleavage of IGFBPs by proteases also modulates the levels and the action of free IGFs and IGFBPs. IGFBPs not only regulate IGF action and bioavailability, but also appear to mediate IGF-independent actions including inhibition or enhancement of cell growth and induction of apoptosis. The growth inhibitory effects of sequestration by IGFBPs are evidenced when they competitively bind IGFs and modulate their interactions with type I IGF cell surface receptors (Wetterau et al., Mol. Genet. Metab., 1999, 68, 161-181).

Using the amino terminal sequence of the purified rat insulin-like growth factor binding protein 5 (also known as insulin-like growth factor binding protein 5 precursor, IGF-binding protein 5, IGFBP5, igfbp-5, and IBP5) to prepare degenerate oligonucleotide probes, the rat and human genes were cloned from rat ovary and human placental cDNA libraries (Shimasaki et al., J. Biol. Chem., 1991, 266, 10646-10653). The human genes for insulin-like growth factor binding protein 5 and insulin-like growth factor binding protein 2 are physically linked, as are the homologous mouse genes, which colocalize on mouse chromosome 1 in a region of synteny with the human chromosomal locus 2q33-q36 (Kou et al., Genomics, 1994, 21, 653-655). The human gene was mapped to chromosome 2 using a panel of somatic cell hybrids, and by fluorescence in situ hybridization to the 2q33-q34 locus (Allander et al., J. Biol. Chem., 1994, 269, 10891-10898).

Disclosed and claimed in the PCT publications WO 92/03470 and WO 92/03471 are recombinant DNA molecules encoding insulin-like growth factor binding protein 5 and subsequences thereof, microorganisms and cell lines containing said molecules, methods for preparing insulin-like growth factor binding protein 5 from these, and the purified protein itself, as well as antibodies to the protein and derivatives thereof (Kiefer and Masiarz, 1992; Kiefer et al., 1992).

Fetal tissues express high levels of insulin-like growth factor binding protein 5 during rapid growth, but tissue levels vary in adults. Insulin-like growth factor binding protein 5 is the main IGFBP expressed in the kidney and it is found in substantial amounts in connective tissues and cerebrospinal fluid. Serum levels of insulin-like growth factor binding protein 5 also decrease with age, starting after puberty. Levels in older women are 30% of those of teenagers (Wetterau et al., Mol. Genet. Metab., 1999, 68, 161-181).

Insulin-like growth factor binding protein 5 has several unique features that suggest it is a key component of the IGF system in bone. Bone cells produce large amounts of insulin-like growth factor binding protein 5, but levels decrease during maturation due to protease activity. Unlike other IGFBPs, insulin-like growth factor binding protein 5 has a high specific binding affinity for hydroxyapatite and extracellular matrix proteins, and thus it is stored in abundance within bone. It appears to act as a growth factor, stimulating bone formation via a mechanism independent of IGF-I, an effect specific for insulin-like growth factor binding protein 5 and not other IGFBPs. It is the only IGFBP shown to stimulate osteoblast cell proliferation in vitro. A single local injection of insulin-like growth factor binding protein 5 into the outer periosteum of the parietal bone of IGF-I knockout mice increased alkaline phosphatase and osteocalcin levels of calvarial bone extracts. A significant age-related decrease in insulin-like growth factor binding protein 5 could contribute in part to the age-related impairment in the coupling of bone formation to resorption (Miyakoshi et al., J. Clin. Invest., 2001, 107, 73-81).

Insulin-like growth factor binding protein 5 is a component of a ternary complex in human serum. The other two components of this complex are an insulin-like growth factor and a glycoprotein known as the acid labile subunit (ALS). Formation of this ternary complex stabilizes insulin-like growth factor binding protein 5 levels and is hypothesized to provide a circulating reservoir of insulin-like growth factor binding protein 5 and IGFs, implying a previously unrecognized form of IGF transport and delivery in the circulation and a novel mechanism for regulating its bioavailability (Twigg and Baxter, J. Biol. Chem., 1998, 273, 6074-6079). A basic carboxyl-terminal domain of the protein is the principal site in insulin-like growth factor binding protein 5 responsible for ALS binding (Twigg et al., J. Biol. Chem., 1998, 273, 28791-28798).

Specific antisera against insulin-like growth factor binding protein 5 have been generated. Mouse embryos as well as tissues from mice with a targeted disruption of insulin-like growth factor binding protein 5 were used to confirm histochemically that insulin-like growth factor binding protein 5 is expressed in various tissues such as kidney, liver, endothelium of the gut, tubules and mesenchyme of the lung, meninges, notochord, muscle and tongue. Differences between mRNA and protein localization suggest that the protein is secreted and transported (van Kleffens et al., Endocrinology, 1999, 140, 5944-5952).

Levels of insulin-like growth factor binding protein 5 mRNA are increased in inflamed colon smooth muscle cells in an experimental model of colitis in rat (Zeeh et al., J. Recept. Signal Transduct. Res., 1998, 18, 265-280).

Insulin-like growth factor binding protein 5 has also been implicated in prostate cancer progression (Miyake et al., Cancer Res., 2000, 60, 3058-3064), is expressed with high frequency in neuroendocrine tumors (Wulbrand et al., Eur. J. Clin. Invest., 2000, 30, 729-739), and has been shown to be induced upon treatment of breast cancer cells with antiestrogens used to abolish tamoxifen resistant proliferation (Huynh et al., Cell Growth Differ., 1996, 7, 1501-1506; Parisot et al., Breast Cancer Res. Treat., 1999, 55, 231-242).

The pharmacological modulation of insulin-like growth factor binding protein 5 activity and/or expression is therefore believed to be an appropriate point of therapeutic intervention in developmental or growth disorders, and in pathological conditions such as cancer, colitis, Duchenne muscular dystrophy, diabetes and other metabolic diseases, such as osteoporosis and osteopetrosis.

Antisense mediated inhibition of insulin-like growth factor binding protein 5 has been utilized as an investigative tool to elucidate its mitogenic action in IGF signal transduction pathways and as a therapeutic agent for prostate cancer progression in a mouse model (Miyake et al., Cancer Res., 2000, 60, 3058-3064).

A phosphorothioate antisense oligonucleotide, 18 nucleotides in length and complementary to the translation initiation site of the mouse insulin-like growth factor binding protein 5 mRNA, was used to inhibit its expression and show that the mouse insulin-like growth factor binding protein 5, which is up-regulated after castration, potentiates IGF-I activity and accelerates progression to androgen independence. Mice bearing androgen-dependent Shionogi prostate tumors were temporally delayed in their progression to androgen independence and recurrence of androgen independent tumors was inhibited when this antisense oligonucleotide was administered systemically (Miyake et al., Cancer Res., 2000, 60, 3058-3064).

Approximately 1.2 kilobase pairs of the insulin-like growth factor binding protein 5 cDNA was cloned in the antisense orientation with respect to the Moloney sarcoma virus promoter in an expression vector. This construct was used to produce antisense sequences complementary to the mRNA for investigation of the role of insulin-like growth factor binding protein 5 in autocrine secretion by C2 myoblasts. Myoblasts expressing the insulin-like growth factor binding protein 5 antisense transcript differentiate prematurely and more extensively than control cells, consistent with a model in which insulin-like growth factor binding protein 5 blocks IGF-stimulated myogenesis. A possible mechanism of action involves sequestration of IGFs in the extracellular matrix (James et al., J. Cell Biol., 1996, 133, 683-693).

A phosphorothioate antisense oligonucleotide, 15 nucleotides in length and complementary to a region of the mRNA encompassing the start codon, was used to inhibit expression of insulin-like growth factor binding protein 5 and show that insulin-like growth factor binding protein 5 acts as a diffusible factor to sequester IGFs and/or other growth factors to downregulate Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) myoblast proliferation (Melone et al., J. Cell Physiol., 2000, 185, 143-153).

A phosphorothioate antisense oligonucleotide, 21 nucleotides in length and complementary to nucleotides 813-834 of Genbank Accession NM_(—)000599, has been used in two studies to inhibit the expression of insulin-like growth factor binding protein 5. In the first study, expression of insulin-like growth factor binding protein 5 is induced by the antiestrogen ICI 182780 and that insulin-like growth factor binding protein 5 assists the drug in inhibiting proliferation of MCF-7 breast cancer cells (Huynh et al., Cell Growth Differ., 1996, 7, 1501-1506). The same antisense oligonucleotide was later used to demonstrate that the effect of a vitamin D analogue EB1089, which also inhibits proliferation and induce apoptosis of MCF-7 breast carcinoma cells, is attenuated when insulin-like growth factor binding protein 5 is not expressed (Rozen and Pollak, Int. J. Oncol., 1999, 15, 589-594).

Disclosed and claimed in PCT Publication WO 01/05435 is a method for treating hormone-regulated tumors (for example breast and prostatic tumors) in mammals including humans, by administration of antisense oligonucleotides. The antisense oligonucleotides disclosed are designed to target the murine and human insulin-like growth factor binding protein 5 genes (Gleave, 2001).

Currently, there are no known therapeutic agents which effectively inhibit the synthesis of human insulin-like growth factor binding protein 5. Consequently, there remains a long felt need for additional agents capable of effectively inhibiting insulin-like growth factor binding protein 5 function.

Antisense technology is emerging as an effective means for reducing the expression of specific gene products and may therefore prove to be uniquely useful in a number of therapeutic, diagnostic, and research applications for the modulation of insulin-like growth factor binding protein 5 expression.

The present invention provides compositions and methods for modulating insulin-like growth factor binding protein 5 expression.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to compounds, particularly antisense oligonucleotides, which are targeted to a nucleic acid encoding insulin-like growth factor binding protein 5, and which modulate the expression of insulin-like growth factor binding protein 5. Pharmaceutical and other compositions comprising the compounds of the invention are also provided. Further provided are methods of modulating the expression of insulin-like growth factor binding protein 5 in cells or tissues comprising contacting said cells or tissues with one or more of the antisense compounds or compositions of the invention. Further provided are methods of treating an animal, particularly a human, suspected of having or being prone to a disease or condition associated with expression of insulin-like growth factor binding protein 5 by administering a therapeutically or prophylactically effective amount of one or more of the antisense compounds or compositions of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention employs oligomeric compounds, particularly antisense oligonucleotides, for use in modulating the function of nucleic acid molecules encoding insulin-like growth factor binding protein 5, ultimately modulating the amount of insulin-like growth factor binding protein 5 produced. This is accomplished by providing antisense compounds which specifically hybridize with one or more nucleic acids encoding insulin-like growth factor binding protein 5. As used herein, the terms “target nucleic acid” and “nucleic acid encoding insulin-like growth factor binding protein 5” encompass DNA encoding insulin-like growth factor binding protein 5, RNA (including pre-mRNA and mRNA) transcribed from such DNA, and also cDNA derived from such RNA. The specific hybridization of an oligomeric compound with its target nucleic acid interferes with the normal function of the nucleic acid. This modulation of function of a target nucleic acid by compounds which specifically hybridize to it is generally referred to as “antisense”. The functions of DNA to be interfered with include replication and transcription. The functions of RNA to be interfered with include all vital functions such as, for example, translocation of the RNA to the site of protein translation, translation of protein from the RNA, splicing of the RNA to yield one or more mRNA species, and catalytic activity which may be engaged in or facilitated by the RNA. The overall effect of such interference with target nucleic acid function is modulation of the expression of insulin-like growth factor binding protein 5. In the context of the present invention, “modulation” means either an increase (stimulation) or a decrease (inhibition) in the expression of a gene. In the context of the present invention, inhibition is the preferred form of modulation of gene expression and mRNA is a preferred target.

It is preferred to target specific nucleic acids for antisense. “Targeting” an antisense compound to a particular nucleic acid, in the context of this invention, is a multistep process. The process usually begins with the identification of a nucleic acid sequence whose function is to be modulated. This may be, for example, a cellular gene (or mRNA transcribed from the gene) whose expression is associated with a particular disorder or disease state, or a nucleic acid molecule from an infectious agent. In the present invention, the target is a nucleic acid molecule encoding insulin-like growth factor binding protein 5. The targeting process also includes determination of a site or sites within this gene for the antisense interaction to occur such that the desired effect, e.g., detection or modulation of expression of the protein, will result. Within the context of the present invention, a preferred intragenic site is the region encompassing the translation initiation or termination codon of the open reading frame (ORF) of the gene. Since, as is known in the art, the translation initiation codon is typically 5′-AUG (in transcribed mRNA molecules; 5′-ATG in the corresponding DNA molecule), the translation initiation codon is also referred to as the “AUG codon,” the “start codon” or the “AUG start codon”. A minority of genes have a translation initiation codon having the RNA sequence 5′-GUG, 5′-UUG or 5′-CUG, and 5′-AUA, 5′-ACG and 5′-CUG have been shown to function in vivo. Thus, the terms “translation initiation codon” and “start codon” can encompass many codon sequences, even though the initiator amino acid in each instance is typically methionine (in eukaryotes) or formylmethionine (in prokaryotes). It is also known in the art that eukaryotic and prokaryotic genes may have two or more alternative start codons, any one of which may be preferentially utilized for translation initiation in a particular cell type or tissue, or under a particular set of conditions. In the context of the invention, “start codon” and “translation initiation codon” refer to the codon or codons that are used in vivo to initiate translation of an mRNA molecule transcribed from a gene encoding insulin-like growth factor binding protein 5, regardless of the sequence(s) of such codons.

It is also known in the art that a translation termination codon (or “stop codon”) of a gene may have one of three sequences, i.e., 5′-UAA, 5′-UAG and 5′-UGA (the corresponding DNA sequences are 5′-TAA, 5′-TAG and 5′-TGA, respectively). The terms “start codon region” and “translation initiation codon region” refer to a portion of such an mRNA or gene that encompasses from about 25 to about 50 contiguous nucleotides in either direction (i.e., 5′ or 3′) from a translation initiation codon. Similarly, the terms “stop codon region” and “translation termination codon region” refer to a portion of such an mRNA or gene that encompasses from about 25 to about 50 contiguous nucleotides in either direction (i.e., 5′ or 3′) from a translation termination codon.

The open reading frame (ORF) or “coding region,” which is known in the art to refer to the region between the translation initiation codon and the translation termination codon, is also a region which may be targeted effectively. Other target regions include the 5′ untranslated region (5′UTR), known in the art to refer to the portion of an mRNA in the 5′ direction from the translation initiation codon, and thus including nucleotides between the 5′ cap site and the translation initiation codon of an mRNA or corresponding nucleotides on the gene, and the 3′ untranslated region (3′UTR), known in the art to refer to the portion of an mRNA in the 3′ direction from the translation termination codon, and thus including nucleotides between the translation termination codon and 3′ end of an mRNA or corresponding nucleotides on the gene. The 5′ cap of an mRNA comprises an N7-methylated guanosine residue joined to the 5′-most residue of the mRNA via a 5′-5′ triphosphate linkage. The 5′ cap region of an mRNA is considered to include the 5′ cap structure itself as well as the first 50 nucleotides adjacent to the cap. The 5′ cap region may also be a preferred target region.

Although some eukaryotic mRNA transcripts are directly translated, many contain one or more regions, known as “introns,” which are excised from a transcript before it is translated. The remaining (and therefore translated) regions are known as “exons” and are spliced together to form a continuous mRNA sequence. mRNA splice sites, i.e., intron-exon junctions, may also be preferred target regions, and are particularly useful in situations where aberrant splicing is implicated in disease, or where an overproduction of a particular mRNA splice product is implicated in disease. Aberrant fusion junctions due to rearrangements or deletions are also preferred targets. It has also been found that introns can also be effective, and therefore preferred, target regions for antisense compounds targeted, for example, to DNA or pre-mRNA.

Once one or more target sites have been identified, oligonucleotides are chosen which are sufficiently complementary to the target, i.e., hybridize sufficiently well and with sufficient specificity, to give the desired effect.

In the context of this invention, “hybridization” means hydrogen bonding, which may be Watson-Crick, Hoogsteen or reversed Hoogsteen hydrogen bonding, between complementary nucleoside or nucleotide bases. For example, adenine and thymine are complementary nucleobases which pair through the formation of hydrogen bonds. “Complementary,” as used herein, refers to the capacity for precise pairing between two nucleotides. For example, if a nucleotide at a certain position of an oligonucleotide is capable of hydrogen bonding with a nucleotide at the same position of a DNA or RNA molecule, then the oligonucleotide and the DNA or RNA are considered to be complementary to each other at that position. The oligonucleotide and the DNA or RNA are complementary to each other when a sufficient number of corresponding positions in each molecule are occupied by nucleotides which can hydrogen bond with each other. Thus, “specifically hybridizable” and “complementary” are terms which are used to indicate a sufficient degree of complementarity or precise pairing such that stable and specific binding occurs between the oligonucleotide and the DNA or RNA target. It is understood in the art that the sequence of an antisense compound need not be 100% complementary to that of its target nucleic acid to be specifically hybridizable. An antisense compound is specifically hybridizable when binding of the compound to the target DNA or RNA molecule interferes with the normal function of the target DNA or RNA to cause a loss of utility, and there is a sufficient degree of complementarity to avoid non-specific binding of the antisense compound to non-target sequences under conditions in which specific binding is desired, i.e., under physiological conditions in the case of in vivo assays or therapeutic treatment, and in the case of in vitro assays, under conditions in which the assays are performed.

Antisense and other compounds of the invention which hybridize to the target and inhibit expression of the target are identified through experimentation, and the sequences of these compounds are hereinbelow identified as preferred embodiments of the invention. The target sites to which these preferred sequences are complementary are hereinbelow referred to as “active sites” and are therefore preferred sites for targeting. Therefore another embodiment of the invention encompasses compounds which hybridize to these active sites.

Antisense compounds are commonly used as research reagents and diagnostics. For example, antisense oligonucleotides, which are able to inhibit gene expression with exquisite specificity, are often used by those of ordinary skill to elucidate the function of particular genes. Antisense compounds are also used, for example, to distinguish between functions of various members of a biological pathway. Antisense modulation has, therefore, been harnessed for research use.

For use in kits and diagnostics, the antisense compounds of the present invention, either alone or in combination with other antisense compounds or therapeutics, can be used as tools in differential and/or combinatorial analyses to elucidate expression patterns of a portion or the entire complement of genes expressed within cells and tissues.

Expression patterns within cells or tissues treated with one or more antisense compounds are compared to control cells or tissues not treated with antisense compounds and the patterns produced are analyzed for differential levels of gene expression as they pertain, for example, to disease association, signaling pathway, cellular localization, expression level, size, structure or function of the genes examined. These analyses can be performed on stimulated or unstimulated cells and in the presence or absence of other compounds which affect expression patterns.

Examples of methods of gene expression analysis known in the art include DNA arrays or microarrays (Brazma and Vilo, FEBS Lett., 2000, 480, 17-24; Celis, et al., FEBS Lett., 2000, 480, 2-16), SAGE (serial analysis of gene expression) (Madden, et al., Drug Discov. Today, 2000, 5, 415-425), READS (restriction enzyme amplification of digested cDNAs) (Prashar and Weissman, Methods Enzymol., 1999, 303, 258-72), TOGA (total gene expression analysis) (Sutcliffe, et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A., 2000, 97, 1976-81), protein arrays and proteomics (Celis, et al., FEBS Lett., 2000, 480, 2-16; Jungblut, et al., Electrophoresis, 1999, 20, 2100-10), expressed sequence tag (EST) sequencing (Celis, et al., FEBS Lett., 2000, 480, 2-16; Larsson, et al., J. Biotechnol., 2000, 80, 143-57), subtractive RNA fingerprinting (SuRF) (Fuchs, et al., Anal. Biochem., 2000, 286, 91-98; Larson, et al., Cytometry, 2000, 41, 203-208), subtractive cloning, differential display (DD) (Jurecic and Belmont, Curr. Opin. Microbiol., 2000, 3, 316-21), comparative genomic hybridization (Carulli, et al., J. Cell Biochem. Suppl., 1998, 31, 286-96), FISH (fluorescent in situ hybridization) techniques (Going and Gusterson, Eur. J. Cancer, 1999, 35, 1895-904) and mass spectrometry methods (reviewed in (To, Comb. Chem. High Throughput Screen, 2000, 3, 235-41).

The specificity and sensitivity of antisense is also harnessed by those of skill in the art for therapeutic uses. Antisense oligonucleotides have been employed as therapeutic moieties in the treatment of disease states in animals and man. Antisense oligonucleotide drugs, including ribozymes, have been safely and effectively administered to humans and numerous clinical trials are presently underway. It is thus established that oligonucleotides can be useful therapeutic modalities that can be configured to be useful in treatment regimes for treatment of cells, tissues and animals, especially humans.

In the context of this invention, the term “oligonucleotide” refers to an oligomer or polymer of ribonucleic acid (RNA) or deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) or mimetics thereof. This term includes oligonucleotides composed of naturally-occurring nucleobases, sugars and covalent internucleoside (backbone) linkages as well as oligonucleotides having non-naturally-occurring portions which function similarly. Such modified or substituted oligonucleotides are often preferred over native forms because of desirable properties such as, for example, enhanced cellular uptake, enhanced affinity for nucleic acid target and increased stability in the presence of nucleases.

While antisense oligonucleotides are a preferred form of antisense compound, the present invention comprehends other oligomeric antisense compounds, including but not limited to oligonucleotide mimetics such as are described below. The antisense compounds in accordance with this invention preferably comprise from about 8 to about 50 nucleobases (i.e. from about 8 to about 50 linked nucleosides). Particularly preferred antisense compounds are antisense oligonucleotides, even more preferably those comprising from about 12 to about 30 nucleobases. Antisense compounds include ribozymes, external guide sequence (EGS) oligonucleotides (oligozymes), and other short catalytic RNAs or catalytic oligonucleotides which hybridize to the target nucleic acid and modulate its expression.

As is known in the art, a nucleoside is a base-sugar combination. The base portion of the nucleoside is normally a heterocyclic base. The two most common classes of such heterocyclic bases are the purines and the pyrimidines. Nucleotides are nucleosides that further include a phosphate group covalently linked to the sugar portion of the nucleoside. For those nucleosides that include a pentofuranosyl sugar, the phosphate group can be linked to either the 2′, 3′ or 5′ hydroxyl moiety of the sugar. In forming oligonucleotides, the phosphate groups covalently link adjacent nucleosides to one another to form a linear polymeric compound. In turn the respective ends of this linear polymeric structure can be further joined to form a circular structure, however, open linear structures are generally preferred. Within the oligonucleotide structure, the phosphate groups are commonly referred to as forming the internucleoside backbone of the oligonucleotide. The normal linkage or backbone of RNA and DNA is a 3′ to 5′ phosphodiester linkage.

Specific examples of preferred antisense compounds useful in this invention include oligonucleotides containing modified backbones or non-natural internucleoside linkages. As defined in this specification, oligonucleotides having modified backbones include those that retain a phosphorus atom in the backbone and those that do not have a phosphorus atom in the backbone. For the purposes of this specification, and as sometimes referenced in the art, modified oligonucleotides that do not have a phosphorus atom in their internucleoside backbone can also be considered to be oligonucleosides.

Preferred modified oligonucleotide backbones include, for example, phosphorothioates, chiral phosphorothioates, phosphorodithioates, phosphotriesters, aminoalkylphosphotriesters, methyl and other alkyl phosphonates including 3′-alkylene phosphonates, 5′-alkylene phosphonates and chiral phosphonates, phosphinates, phosphoramidates including 3′-amino phosphoramidate and aminoalkylphosphoramidates, thionophosphoramidates, thionoalkylphosphonates, thionoalkylphosphotriesters, selenophosphates and boranophosphates having normal 3′-5′ linkages, 2′-5′ linked analogs of these, and those having inverted polarity wherein one or more internucleotide linkages is a 3′ to 3′, 5′ to 5′ or 2′ to 2′ linkage. Preferred oligonucleotides having inverted polarity comprise a single 3′ to 3′ linkage at the 3′-most internucleotide linkage i.e. a single inverted nucleoside residue which may be abasic (the nucleobase is missing or has a hydroxyl group in place thereof). Various salts, mixed salts and free acid forms are also included.

Representative United States patents that teach the preparation of the above phosphorus-containing linkages include, but are not limited to, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,687,808; 4,469,863; 4,476,301; 5,023,243; 5,177,196; 5,188,897; 5,264,423; 5,276,019; 5,278,302; 5,286,717; 5,321,131; 5,399,676; 5,405,939; 5,453,496; 5,455,233; 5,466,677; 5,476,925; 5,519,126; 5,536,821; 5,541,306; 5,550,111; 5,563,253; 5,571,799; 5,587,361; 5,194,599; 5,565,555; 5,527,899; 5,721,218; 5,672,697 and 5,625,050, certain of which are commonly owned with this application, and each of which is herein incorporated by reference.

Preferred modified oligonucleotide backbones that do not include a phosphorus atom therein have backbones that are formed by short chain alkyl or cycloalkyl internucleoside linkages, mixed heteroatom and alkyl or cycloalkyl internucleoside linkages, or one or more short chain heteroatomic or heterocyclic internucleoside linkages. These include those having morpholino linkages (formed in part from the sugar portion of a nucleoside); siloxane backbones; sulfide, sulfoxide and sulfone backbones; formacetyl and thioformacetyl backbones; methylene formacetyl and thioformacetyl backbones; riboacetyl backbones; alkene containing backbones; sulfamate backbones; methyleneimino and methylenehydrazino backbones; sulfonate and sulfonamide backbones; amide backbones; and others having mixed N, O, S and CH₂ component parts.

Representative United States patents that teach the preparation of the above oligonucleosides include, but are not limited to, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,034,506; 5,166,315; 5,185,444; 5,214,134; 5,216,141; 5,235,033; 5,264,562; 5,264,564; 5,405,938; 5,434,257; 5,466,677; 5,470,967; 5,489,677; 5,541,307; 5,561,225; 5,596,086; 5,602,240; 5,610,289; 5,602,240; 5,608,046; 5,610,289; 5,618,704; 5,623,070; 5,663,312; 5,633,360; 5,677,437; 5,792,608; 5,646,269 and 5,677,439, certain of which are commonly owned with this application, and each of which is herein incorporated by reference.

In other preferred oligonucleotide mimetics, both the sugar and the internucleoside linkage, i.e., the backbone, of the nucleotide units are replaced with novel groups. The base units are maintained for hybridization with an appropriate nucleic acid target compound. One such oligomeric compound, an oligonucleotide mimetic that has been shown to have excellent hybridization properties, is referred to as a peptide nucleic acid (PNA) In PNA compounds, the sugar-backbone of an oligonucleotide is replaced with an amide containing backbone, in particular an aminoethylglycine backbone. The nucleobases are retained and are bound directly or indirectly to aza nitrogen atoms of the amide portion of the backbone. Representative United States patents that teach the preparation of PNA compounds include, but are not limited to, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,539,082; 5,714,331; and 5,719,262, each of which is herein incorporated by reference. Further teaching of PNA compounds can be found in Nielsen et al., Science, 1991, 254, 1497-1500.

Most preferred embodiments of the invention are oligonucleotides with phosphorothioate backbones and oligonucleosides with heteroatom backbones, and in particular —CH₂—NH—O—CH₂—, —CH₂—N(CH₃)—O—CH₂— [known as a methylene (methylimino) or MMI backbone], —CH₂—O—N(CH₃)—CH₂—, —CH₂—N(CH₃)—N(CH₃)—CH₂— and —O—N(CH₃)—CH₂—CH₂— [wherein the native phosphodiester backbone is represented as —O—P—O—CH₂—] of the above referenced U.S. Pat. No. 5,489,677, and the amide backbones of the above referenced U.S. Pat. No. 5,602,240. Also preferred are oligonucleotides having morpholino backbone structures of the above-referenced U.S. Pat. No. 5,034,506.

Modified oligonucleotides may also contain one or more substituted sugar moieties. Preferred oligonucleotides comprise one of the following at the 2′ position: OH; F; O—, S—, or N-alkyl; O—, S—, or N-alkenyl; O—, S— or N-alkynyl; or O-alkyl-O-alkyl, wherein the alkyl, alkenyl and alkynyl may be substituted or unsubstituted C₁ to C₁₀ alkyl or C₂ to C₁₀ alkenyl and alkynyl. Particularly preferred are O[(CH₂)_(n)O]_(m)CH₃, O(CH₂)_(n)OCH₃, O(CH₂)_(n)NH₂, O(CH₂)_(n)CH₃, O(CH₂)_(n)ONH₂, and O(CH₂)_(n)ON[(CH₂)_(n)CH₃)]₂, where n and m are from 1 to about 10. Other preferred oligonucleotides comprise one of the following at the 2′ position: C₁ to C₁₀ lower alkyl, substituted lower alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, alkaryl, aralkyl, O-alkaryl or O-aralkyl, SH, SCH₃, OCN, Cl, Br, CN, CF₃, OCF₃, SOCH₃, SO₂CH₃, ONO₂, NO₂, N₃, NH₂, heterocycloalkyl, heterocycloalkaryl, aminoalkylamino, polyalkylamino, substituted silyl, an RNA cleaving group, a reporter group, an intercalator, a group for improving the pharmacokinetic properties of an oligonucleotide, or a group for improving the pharmacodynamic properties of an oligonucleotide, and other substituents having similar properties. A preferred modification includes 2′-methoxyethoxy (2′-O—CH₂CH₂OCH₃, also known as 2′-O-(2-methoxyethyl) or 2′-MOE) (Martin et al., Helv. Chim. Acta, 1995, 78, 486-504) i.e., an alkoxyalkoxy group. A further preferred modification includes 2′-dimethylaminooxyethoxy, i.e., a O(CH₂)₂ON(CH₃)₂ group, also known as 2′-DMAOE, as described in examples hereinbelow, and 2′-dimethylaminoethoxyethoxy (also known in the art as 2′-O-dimethylaminoethoxyethyl or 2′-DMAEOE), i.e., 2′-O—CH₂—O—CH₂—N(CH₂)₂, also described in examples hereinbelow.

A further prefered modification includes Locked Nucleic Acids (LNAs) in which the 2′-hydroxyl group is linked to the 3′ or 4′ carbon atom of the sugar ring thereby forming a bicyclic sugar moiety. The linkage is preferably a methelyne (—CH₂−)_(n) group bridging the 2′ oxygen atom and the 4′ carbon atom wherein n is 1 or 2. LNAs and preparation thereof are described in WO 98/39352 and WO 99/14226.

Other preferred modifications include 2′-methoxy (2′-O—CH₃), 2′-aminopropoxy (2′-OCH₂CH₂CH₂NH₂), 2′-allyl (2′-CH₂—CH═CH₂), 2′-O-allyl (2′-O—CH₂—CH═CH₂) and 2′-fluoro (2′-F). The 2′-modification may be in the arabino (up) position or ribo (down) position. A preferred 2′-arabino modification is 2′-F. Similar modifications may also be made at other positions on the oligonucleotide, particularly the 3′ position of the sugar on the 3′ terminal nucleotide or in 2′-5′ linked oligonucleotides and the 5′ position of 5′ terminal nucleotide. Oligonucleotides may also have sugar mimetics such as cyclobutyl moieties in place of the pentofuranosyl sugar. Representative United States patents that teach the preparation of such modified sugar structures include, but are not limited to, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,981,957; 5,118,800; 5,319,080; 5,359,044; 5,393,878; 5,446,137; 5,466,786; 5,514,785; 5,519,134; 5,567,811; 5,576,427; 5,591,722; 5,597,909; 5,610,300; 5,627,053; 5,639,873; 5,646,265; 5,658,873; 5,670,633; 5,792,747; and 5,700,920, certain of which are commonly owned with the instant application, and each of which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.

Oligonucleotides may also include nucleobase (often referred to in the art simply as “base”) modifications or substitutions. As used herein, “unmodified” or “natural” nucleobases include the purine bases adenine (A) and guanine (G), and the pyrimidine bases thymine (T), cytosine (C) and uracil (U). Modified nucleobases include other synthetic and natural nucleobases such as 5-methylcytosine (5-me-C), 5-hydroxymethyl cytosine, xanthine, hypoxanthine, 2-aminoadenine, 6-methyl and other alkyl derivatives of adenine and guanine, 2-propyl and other alkyl derivatives of adenine and guanine, 2-thiouracil, 2-thiothymine and 2-thiocytosine, 5-halouracil and cytosine, 5-propynyl (—C≡C—CH₃) uracil and cytosine and other alkynyl derivatives of pyrimidine bases, 6-azo uracil, cytosine and thymine, 5-uracil (pseudouracil), 4-thiouracil, 8-halo, 8-amino, 8-thiol, 8-thioalkyl, 8-hydroxyl and other 8-substituted adenines and guanines, 5-halo particularly 5-bromo, 5-trifluoromethyl and other 5-substituted uracils and cytosines, 7-methylguanine and 7-methyladenine, 2-F-adenine, 2-amino-adenine, 8-azaguanine and 8-azaadenine, 7-deazaguanine and 7-deazaadenine and 3-deazaguanine and 3-deazaadenine. Further modified nucleobases include tricyclic pyrimidines such as phenoxazine cytidine(1H-pyrimido[5,4-b][1,4]benzoxazin-2(3H)-one), phenothiazine cytidine (1H-pyrimido[5,4-b][1,4]benzothiazin-2(3H)-one), G-clamps such as a substituted phenoxazine cytidine (e.g. 9-(2-aminoethoxy)-H-pyrimido[5,4-b][1,4]benzoxazin-2(3H)-one), carbazole cytidine (2H-pyrimido[4,5-b]indol-2-one), pyridoindole cytidine (H-pyrido[3′,2′:4,5]pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidin-2-one). Modified nucleobases may also include those in which the purine or pyrimidine base is replaced with other heterocycles, for example 7-deaza-adenine, 7-deazaguanosine, 2-aminopyridine and 2-pyridone. Further nucleobases include those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,687,808, those disclosed in The Concise Encyclopedia Of Polymer Science And Engineering, pages 858-859, Kroschwitz, J. I., ed. John Wiley & Sons, 1990, those disclosed by Englisch et al., Angewandte Chemie, International Edition, 1991, 30, 613, and those disclosed by Sanghvi, Y. S., Chapter 15, Antisense Research and Applications, pages 289-302, Crooke, S. T. and Lebleu, B. ed., CRC Press, 1993. Certain of these nucleobases are particularly useful for increasing the binding affinity of the oligomeric compounds of the invention. These include 5-substituted pyrimidines, 6-azapyrimidines and N-2, N-6 and O-6 substituted purines, including 2-aminopropyladenine, 5-propynyluracil and 5-propynylcytosine. 5-methylcytosine substitutions have been shown to increase nucleic acid duplex stability by 0.6-1.2° C. (Sanghvi, Y. S., Crooke, S. T. and Lebleu, B., eds., Antisense Research and Applications, CRC Press, Boca Raton, 1993, pp. 276-278) and are presently preferred base substitutions, even more particularly when combined with 2′-O-methoxyethyl sugar modifications.

Representative United States patents that teach the preparation of certain of the above noted modified nucleobases as well as other modified nucleobases include, but are not limited to, the above noted U.S. Pat. No. 3,687,808, as well as U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,845,205; 5,130,302; 5,134,066; 5,175,273; 5,367,066; 5,432,272; 5,457,187; 5,459,255; 5,484,908; 5,502,177; 5,525,711; 5,552,540; 5,587,469; 5,594,121, 5,596,091; 5,614,617; 5,645,985; 5,830,653; 5,763,588; 6,005,096; and 5,681,941, certain of which are commonly owned with the instant application, and each of which is herein incorporated by reference, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,750,692, which is commonly owned with the instant application and also herein incorporated by reference.

Another modification of the oligonucleotides of the invention involves chemically linking to the oligonucleotide one or more moieties or conjugates which enhance the activity, cellular distribution or cellular uptake of the oligonucleotide. The compounds of the invention can include conjugate groups covalently bound to functional groups such as primary or secondary hydroxyl groups. Conjugate groups of the invention include intercalators, reporter molecules, polyamines, polyamides, polyethylene glycols, polyethers, groups that enhance the pharmacodynamic properties of oligomers, and groups that enhance the pharmacokinetic properties of oligomers. Typical conjugates groups include cholesterols, lipids, phospholipids, biotin, phenazine, folate, phenanthridine, anthraquinone, acridine, fluoresceins, rhodamines, coumarins, and dyes. Groups that enhance the pharmacodynamic properties, in the context of this invention, include groups that improve oligomer uptake, enhance oligomer resistance to degradation, and/or strengthen sequence-specific hybridization with RNA. Groups that enhance the pharmacokinetic properties, in the context of this invention, include groups that improve oligomer uptake, distribution, metabolism or excretion. Representative conjugate groups are disclosed in International Patent Application PCT/US92/09196, (filed Oct. 23, 1992) the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Conjugate moieties include but are not limited to lipid moieties such as a cholesterol moiety (Letsinger et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 1989, 86, 6553-6556), cholic acid (Manoharan et al., Bioorg. Med. Chem. Let., 1994, 4, 1053-1060), a thioether, e.g., hexyl-S-tritylthiol (Manoharan et al., Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci., 1992, 660, 306-309; Manoharan et al., Bioorg. Med. Chem. Let., 1993, 3, 2765-2770), a thiocholesterol (Oberhauser et al., Nucl. Acids Res., 1992, 20, 533-538), an aliphatic chain, e.g., dodecandiol or undecyl residues (Saison-Behmoaras et al., EMBO J., 1991, 10, 1111-1118; Kabanov et al., FEBS Lett., 1990, 259, 327-330; Svinarchuk et al., Biochimie, 1993, 75, 49-54), a phospholipid, e.g., di-hexadecyl-rac-glycerol or triethyl-ammonium 1,2-di-O-hexadecyl-rac-glycero-3-H-phosphonate (Manoharan et al., Tetrahedron Lett., 1995, 36, 3651-3654; Shea et al., Nucl. Acids Res., 1990, 18, 3777-3783), a polyamine or a polyethylene glycol chain (Manoharan et al., Nucleosides & Nucleotides, 1995, 14, 969-973), or adamantane acetic acid (Manoharan et al., Tetrahedron Lett., 1995, 36, 3651-3654), a palmityl moiety (Mishra et al., Biochim. Biophys. Acta, 1995, 1264, 229-237), or an octadecylamine or hexylamino-carbonyl-oxycholesterol moiety (Crooke et al., J. Pharmacol Exp. Ther., 1996, 277, 923-937. Oligonucleotides of the invention may also be conjugated to active drug substances, for example, aspirin, warfarin, phenylbutazone, ibuprofen, suprofen, fenbufen, ketoprofen, (S)-(+)-pranoprofen, carprofen, dansylsarcosine, 2,3,5-triiodobenzoic acid, flufenamic acid, folinic acid, a benzothiadiazide, chlorothiazide, a diazepine, indomethicin, a barbiturate, a cephalosporin, a sulfa drug, an antidiabetic, an antibacterial or an antibiotic. Oligonucleotide-drug conjugates and their preparation are described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/334,130 (filed Jun. 15, 1999) which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

Representative United States patents that teach the preparation of such oligonucleotide conjugates include, but are not limited to, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,828,979; 4,948,882; 5,218,105; 5,525,465; 5,541,313; 5,545,730; 5,552,538; 5,578,717, 5,580,731; 5,580,731; 5,591,584; 5,109,124; 5,118,802; 5,138,045; 5,414,077; 5,486,603; 5,512,439; 5,578,718; 5,608,046; 4,587,044; 4,605,735; 4,667,025; 4,762,779; 4,789,737; 4,824,941; 4,835,263; 4,876,335; 4,904,582; 4,958,013; 5,082,830; 5,112,963; 5,214,136; 5,082,830; 5,112,963; 5,214,136; 5,245,022; 5,254,469; 5,258,506; 5,262,536; 5,272,250; 5,292,873; 5,317,098; 5,371,241, 5,391,723; 5,416,203, 5,451,463; 5,510,475; 5,512,667; 5,514,785; 5,565,552; 5,567,810; 5,574,142; 5,585,481; 5,587,371; 5,595,726; 5,597,696; 5,599,923; 5,599,928 and 5,688,941, certain of which are commonly owned with the instant application, and each of which is herein incorporated by reference.

It is not necessary for all positions in a given compound to be uniformly modified, and in fact more than one of the aforementioned modifications may be incorporated in a single compound or even at a single nucleoside within an oligonucleotide. The present invention also includes antisense compounds which are chimeric compounds. “Chimeric” antisense compounds or “chimeras,” in the context of this invention, are antisense compounds, particularly oligonucleotides, which contain two or more chemically distinct regions, each made up of at least one monomer unit, i.e., a nucleotide in the case of an oligonucleotide compound. These oligonucleotides typically contain at least one region wherein the oligonucleotide is modified so as to confer upon the oligonucleotide increased resistance to nuclease degradation, increased cellular uptake, and/or increased binding affinity for the target nucleic acid. An additional region of the oligonucleotide may serve as a substrate for enzymes capable of cleaving RNA:DNA or RNA:RNA hybrids. By way of example, RNase H is a cellular endonuclease which cleaves the RNA strand of an RNA:DNA duplex. Activation of RNase H, therefore, results in cleavage of the RNA target, thereby greatly enhancing the efficiency of oligonucleotide inhibition of gene expression. Consequently, comparable results can often be obtained with shorter oligonucleotides when chimeric oligonucleotides are used, compared to phosphorothioate deoxyoligonucleotides hybridizing to the same target region. Cleavage of the RNA target can be routinely detected by gel electrophoresis and, if necessary, associated nucleic acid hybridization techniques known in the art.

Chimeric antisense compounds of the invention may be formed as composite structures of two or more oligonucleotides, modified oligonucleotides, oligonucleosides and/or oligonucleotide mimetics as described above. Such compounds have also been referred to in the art as hybrids or gapmers. Representative United States patents that teach the preparation of such hybrid structures include, but are not limited to, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,013,830; 5,149,797; 5,220,007; 5,256,775; 5,366,878; 5,403,711; 5,491,133; 5,565,350; 5,623,065; 5,652,355; 5,652,356; and 5,700,922, certain of which are commonly owned with the instant application, and each of which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.

The antisense compounds used in accordance with this invention may be conveniently and routinely made through the well-known technique of solid phase synthesis. Equipment for such synthesis is sold by several vendors including, for example, Applied Biosystems (Foster City, Calif.). Any other means for such synthesis known in the art may additionally or alternatively be employed. It is well known to use similar techniques to prepare oligonucleotides such as the phosphorothioates and alkylated derivatives.

The antisense compounds of the invention are synthesized in vitro and do not include antisense compositions of biological origin, or genetic vector constructs designed to direct the in vivo synthesis of antisense molecules. The compounds of the invention may also be admixed, encapsulated, conjugated or otherwise associated with other molecules, molecule structures or mixtures of compounds, as for example, liposomes, receptor targeted molecules, oral, rectal, topical or other formulations, for assisting in uptake, distribution and/or absorption. Representative United States patents that teach the preparation of such uptake, distribution and/or absorption assisting formulations include, but are not limited to, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,108,921; 5,354,844; 5,416,016; 5,459,127; 5,521,291; 5,543,158; 5,547,932; 5,583,020; 5,591,721; 4,426,330; 4,534,899; 5,013,556; 5,108,921; 5,213,804; 5,227,170; 5,264,221; 5,356,633; 5,395,619; 5,416,016; 5,417,978; 5,462,854; 5,469,854; 5,512,295; 5,527,528; 5,534,259; 5,543,152; 5,556,948; 5,580,575; and 5,595,756, each of which is herein incorporated by reference.

The antisense compounds of the invention encompass any pharmaceutically acceptable salts, esters, or salts of such esters, or any other compound which, upon administration to an animal including a human, is capable of providing (directly or indirectly) the biologically active metabolite or residue thereof. Accordingly, for example, the disclosure is also drawn to prodrugs and pharmaceutically acceptable salts of the compounds of the invention, pharmaceutically acceptable salts of such prodrugs, and other bioequivalents.

The term “prodrug” indicates a therapeutic agent that is prepared in an inactive form that is converted to an active form (i.e., drug) within the body or cells thereof by the action of endogenous enzymes or other chemicals and/or conditions. In particular, prodrug versions of the oligonucleotides of the invention are prepared as SATE [(S-acetyl-2-thioethyl) phosphate] derivatives according to the methods disclosed in WO 93/24510 to Gosselin et al., published Dec. 9, 1993 or in WO 94/26764 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,770,713 to Imbach et al.

The term “pharmaceutically acceptable salts” refers to physiologically and pharmaceutically acceptable salts of the compounds of the invention: i.e., salts that retain the desired biological activity of the parent compound and do not impart undesired toxicological effects thereto.

Pharmaceutically acceptable base addition salts are formed with metals or amines, such as alkali and alkaline earth metals or organic amines. Examples of metals used as cations are sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium, and the like. Examples of suitable amines are N,N′-dibenzylethylenediamine, chloroprocaine, choline, diethanolamine, dicyclohexylamine, ethylenediamine, N-methylglucamine, and procaine (see, for example, Berge et al., “Pharmaceutical Salts,” J. of Pharma Sci., 1977, 66, 1-19). The base addition salts of said acidic compounds are prepared by contacting the free acid form with a sufficient amount of the desired base to produce the salt in the conventional manner. The free acid form may be regenerated by contacting the salt form with an acid and isolating the free acid in the conventional manner. The free acid forms differ from their respective salt forms somewhat in certain physical properties such as solubility in polar solvents, but otherwise the salts are equivalent to their respective free acid for purposes of the present invention. As used herein, a “pharmaceutical addition salt” includes a pharmaceutically acceptable salt of an acid form of one of the components of the compositions of the invention. These include organic or inorganic acid salts of the amines. Preferred acid salts are the hydrochlorides, acetates, salicylates, nitrates and phosphates. Other suitable pharmaceutically acceptable salts are well known to those skilled in the art and include basic salts of a variety of inorganic and organic acids, such as, for example, with inorganic acids, such as for example hydrochloric acid, hydrobromic acid, sulfuric acid or phosphoric acid; with organic carboxylic, sulfonic, sulfo or phospho acids or N-substituted sulfamic acids, for example acetic acid, propionic acid, glycolic acid, succinic acid, maleic acid, hydroxymaleic acid, methylmaleic acid, fumaric acid, malic acid, tartaric acid, lactic acid, oxalic acid, gluconic acid, glucaric acid, glucuronic acid, citric acid, benzoic acid, cinnamic acid, mandelic acid, salicylic acid, 4-aminosalicylic acid, 2-phenoxybenzoic acid, 2-acetoxybenzoic acid, embonic acid, nicotinic acid or isonicotinic acid; and with amino acids, such as the 20 alpha-amino acids involved in the synthesis of proteins in nature, for example glutamic acid or aspartic acid, and also with phenylacetic acid, methanesulfonic acid, ethanesulfonic acid, 2-hydroxyethanesulfonic acid, ethane-1,2-disulfonic acid, benzenesulfonic acid, 4-methylbenzenesulfonic acid, naphthalene-2-sulfonic acid, naphthalene-1,5-disulfonic acid, 2- or 3-phosphoglycerate, glucose-6-phosphate, N-cyclohexylsulfamic acid (with the formation of cyclamates), or with other acid organic compounds, such as ascorbic acid. Pharmaceutically acceptable salts of compounds may also be prepared with a pharmaceutically acceptable cation. Suitable pharmaceutically acceptable cations are well known to those skilled in the art and include alkaline, alkaline earth, ammonium and quaternary ammonium cations. Carbonates or hydrogen carbonates are also possible.

For oligonucleotides, preferred examples of pharmaceutically acceptable salts include but are not limited to (a) salts formed with cations such as sodium, potassium, ammonium, magnesium, calcium, polyamines such as spermine and spermidine, etc.; (b) acid addition salts formed with inorganic acids, for example hydrochloric acid, hydrobromic acid, sulfuric acid, phosphoric acid, nitric acid and the like; (c) salts formed with organic acids such as, for example, acetic acid, oxalic acid, tartaric acid, succinic acid, maleic acid, fumaric acid, gluconic acid, citric acid, malic acid, ascorbic acid, benzoic acid, tannic acid, palmitic acid, alginic acid, polyglutamic acid, naphthalenesulfonic acid, methanesulfonic acid, p-toluenesulfonic acid, naphthalenedisulfonic acid, polygalacturonic acid, and the like; and (d) salts formed from elemental anions such as chlorine, bromine, and iodine.

The antisense compounds of the present invention can be utilized for diagnostics, therapeutics, prophylaxis and as research reagents and kits. For therapeutics, an animal, preferably a human, suspected of having a disease or disorder which can be treated by modulating the expression of insulin-like growth factor binding protein 5 is treated by administering antisense compounds in accordance with this invention. The compounds of the invention can be utilized in pharmaceutical compositions by adding an effective amount of an antisense compound to a suitable pharmaceutically acceptable diluent or carrier. Use of the antisense compounds and methods of the invention may also be useful prophylactically, e.g., to prevent or delay infection, inflammation or tumor formation, for example.

The antisense compounds of the invention are useful for research and diagnostics, because these compounds hybridize to nucleic acids encoding insulin-like growth factor binding protein 5, enabling sandwich and other assays to easily be constructed to exploit this fact. Hybridization of the antisense oligonucleotides of the invention with a nucleic acid encoding insulin-like growth factor binding protein 5 can be detected by means known in the art. Such means may include conjugation of an enzyme to the oligonucleotide, radiolabelling of the oligonucleotide or any other suitable detection means. Kits using such detection means for detecting the level of insulin-like growth factor binding protein 5 in a sample may also be prepared.

The present invention also includes pharmaceutical compositions and formulations which include the antisense compounds of the invention. The pharmaceutical compositions of the present invention may be administered in a number of ways depending upon whether local or systemic treatment is desired and upon the area to be treated. Administration may be topical (including ophthalmic and to mucous membranes including vaginal and rectal delivery), pulmonary, e.g., by inhalation or insufflation of powders or aerosols, including by nebulizer; intratracheal, intranasal, epidermal and transdermal), oral or parenteral. Parenteral administration includes intravenous, intraarterial, subcutaneous, intraperitoneal or intramuscular injection or infusion; or intracranial, e.g., intrathecal or intraventricular, administration. Oligonucleotides with at least one 2′-O-methoxyethyl modification are believed to be particularly useful for oral administration.

Pharmaceutical compositions and formulations for topical administration may include transdermal patches, ointments, lotions, creams, gels, drops, suppositories, sprays, liquids and powders. Conventional pharmaceutical carriers, aqueous, powder or oily bases, thickeners and the like may be necessary or desirable. Coated condoms, gloves and the like may also be useful. Preferred topical formulations include those in which the oligonucleotides of the invention are in admixture with a topical delivery agent such as lipids, liposomes, fatty acids, fatty acid esters, steroids, chelating agents and surfactants. Preferred lipids and liposomes include neutral (e.g. dioleoylphosphatidyl DOPE ethanolamine, dimyristoylphosphatidyl choline DMPC, distearolyphosphatidyl choline) negative (e.g. dimyristoylphosphatidyl glycerol DMPG) and cationic (e.g. dioleoyltetramethylaminopropyl DOTAP and dioleoylphosphatidyl ethanolamine DOTMA). Oligonucleotides of the invention may be encapsulated within liposomes or may form complexes thereto, in particular to cationic liposomes. Alternatively, oligonucleotides may be complexed to lipids, in particular to cationic lipids. Preferred fatty acids and esters include but are not limited arachidonic acid, oleic acid, eicosanoic acid, lauric acid, caprylic acid, capric acid, myristic acid, palmitic acid, stearic acid, linoleic acid, linolenic acid, dicaprate, tricaprate, monoolein, dilaurin, glyceryl 1-monocaprate, 1-dodecylazacycloheptan-2-one, an acylcarnitine, an acylcholine, or a C₁-C₁₀ alkyl ester (e.g. isopropylmyristate IPM), monoglyceride, diglyceride or pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof. Topical formulations are described in detail in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/315,298 (filed on May 20, 1999) which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

Compositions and formulations for oral administration include powders or granules, microparticulates, nanoparticulates, suspensions or solutions in water or non-aqueous media, capsules, gel capsules, sachets, tablets or minitablets. Thickeners, flavoring agents, diluents, emulsifiers, dispersing aids or binders may be desirable. Preferred oral formulations are those in which oligonucleotides of the invention are administered in conjunction with one or more penetration enhancers surfactants and chelators. Preferred surfactants include fatty acids and/or esters or salts thereof, bile acids and/or salts thereof. Preferred bile acids/salts include chenodeoxycholic acid (CDCA) and ursodeoxychenodeoxycholic acid (UDCA), cholic acid, dehydrocholic acid, deoxycholic acid, glucholic acid, glycholic acid, glycodeoxycholic acid, taurocholic acid, taurodeoxycholic acid, sodium tauro-24,25-dihydro-fusidate, sodium glycodihydrofusidate. Preferred fatty acids include arachidonic acid, undecanoic acid, oleic acid, lauric acid, caprylic acid, capric acid, myristic acid, palmitic acid, stearic acid, linoleic acid, linolenic acid, dicaprate, tricaprate, monoolein, dilaurin, glyceryl 1-monocaprate, 1-dodecylazacycloheptan-2-one, an acylcarnitine, an acylcholine, or a monoglyceride, a diglyceride or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (e.g. sodium). Also preferred are combinations of penetration enhancers, for example, fatty acids/salts in combination with bile acids/salts. A particularly preferred combination is the sodium salt of lauric acid, capric acid and UDCA. Further penetration enhancers include polyoxyethylene-9-lauryl ether, polyoxyethylene-20-cetyl ether. Oligonucleotides of the invention may be delivered orally in granular form including sprayed dried particles, or complexed to form micro or nanoparticles. Oligonucleotide complexing agents include poly-amino acids; polyimines; polyacrylates; polyalkylacrylates, polyoxethanes, polyalkylcyanoacrylates; cationized gelatins, albumins, starches, acrylates, polyethyleneglycols (PEG) and starches; polyalkylcyanoacrylates; DEAE-derivatized polyimines, pollulans, celluloses and starches. Particularly preferred complexing agents include chitosan, N-trimethylchitosan, poly-L-lysine, polyhistidine, polyornithine, polyspermines, protamine, polyvinylpyridine, polythiodiethylamino-methylethylene P(TDAE), polyaminostyrene (e.g. p-amino), poly(methylcyanoacrylate), poly(ethylcyanoacrylate), poly(butylcyanoacrylate), poly(isobutylcyanoacrylate), poly(isohexylcynaoacrylate), DEAE-methacrylate, DEAE-hexylacrylate, DEAE-acrylamide, DEAE-albumin and DEAE-dextran, polymethylacrylate, polyhexylacrylate, poly(D,L-lactic acid), poly(DL-lactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA), alginate, and polyethyleneglycol (PEG). Oral formulations for oligonucleotides and their preparation are described in detail in U.S. application Ser. Nos. 08/886,829 (filed Jul. 1, 1997), 09/108,673 (filed Jul. 1, 1998), 09/256,515 (filed Feb. 23, 1999), 09/082,624 (filed May 21, 1998) and 09/315,298 (filed May 20, 1999) each of which is incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

Compositions and formulations for parenteral, intrathecal or intraventricular administration may include sterile aqueous solutions which may also contain buffers, diluents and other suitable additives such as, but not limited to, penetration enhancers, carrier compounds and other pharmaceutically acceptable carriers or excipients.

Pharmaceutical compositions of the present invention include, but are not limited to, solutions, emulsions, and liposome-containing formulations. These compositions may be generated from a variety of components that include, but are not limited to, preformed liquids, self-emulsifying solids and self-emulsifying semisolids.

The pharmaceutical formulations of the present invention, which may conveniently be presented in unit dosage form, may be prepared according to conventional techniques well known in the pharmaceutical industry. Such techniques include the step of bringing into association the active ingredients with the pharmaceutical carrier(s) or excipient(s). In general the formulations are prepared by uniformly and intimately bringing into association the active ingredients with liquid carriers or finely divided solid carriers or both, and then, if necessary, shaping the product.

The compositions of the present invention may be formulated into any of many possible dosage forms such as, but not limited to, tablets, capsules, gel capsules, liquid syrups, soft gels, suppositories, and enemas. The compositions of the present invention may also be formulated as suspensions in aqueous, non-aqueous or mixed media. Aqueous suspensions may further contain substances which increase the viscosity of the suspension including, for example, sodium carboxymethylcellulose, sorbitol and/or dextran. The suspension may also contain stabilizers.

In one embodiment of the present invention the pharmaceutical compositions may be formulated and used as foams. Pharmaceutical foams include formulations such as, but not limited to, emulsions, microemulsions, creams, jellies and liposomes. While basically similar in nature these formulations vary in the components and the consistency of the final product. The preparation of such compositions and formulations is generally known to those skilled in the pharmaceutical and formulation arts and may be applied to the formulation of the compositions of the present invention.

Emulsions

The compositions of the present invention may be prepared and formulated as emulsions. Emulsions are typically heterogenous systems of one liquid dispersed in another in the form of droplets usually exceeding 0.1 μm in diameter. (Idson, in Pharmaceutical Dosage Forms, Lieberman, Rieger and Banker (Eds.), 1988, Marcel Dekker, Inc., New York, N.Y., volume 1, p. 199; Rosoff, in Pharmaceutical Dosage Forms, Lieberman, Rieger and Banker (Eds.), 1988, Marcel Dekker, Inc., New York, N.Y., Volume 1, p. 245; Block in Pharmaceutical Dosage Forms, Lieberman, Rieger and Banker (Eds.), 1988, Marcel Dekker, Inc., New York, N.Y., volume 2, p. 335; Higuchi et al., in Remington's Pharmaceutical Sciences, Mack Publishing Co., Easton, Pa., 1985, p. 301). Emulsions are often biphasic systems comprising of two immiscible liquid phases intimately mixed and dispersed with each other. In general, emulsions may be either water-in-oil (w/o) or of the oil-in-water (o/w) variety. When an aqueous phase is finely divided into and dispersed as minute droplets into a bulk oily phase the resulting composition is called a water-in-oil (w/o) emulsion. Alternatively, when an oily phase is finely divided into and dispersed as minute droplets into a bulk aqueous phase the resulting composition is called an oil-in-water (o/w) emulsion. Emulsions may contain additional components in addition to the dispersed phases and the active drug which may be present as a solution in either the aqueous phase, oily phase or itself as a separate phase. Pharmaceutical excipients such as emulsifiers, stabilizers, dyes, and anti-oxidants may also be present in emulsions as needed. Pharmaceutical emulsions may also be multiple emulsions that are comprised of more than two phases such as, for example, in the case of oil-in-water-in-oil (o/w/o) and water-in-oil-in-water (w/o/w) emulsions. Such complex formulations often provide certain advantages that simple binary emulsions do not. Multiple emulsions in which individual oil droplets of an o/w emulsion enclose small water droplets constitute a w/o/w emulsion. Likewise a system of oil droplets enclosed in globules of water stabilized in an oily continuous provides an o/w/o emulsion.

Emulsions are characterized by little or no thermodynamic stability. Often, the dispersed or discontinuous phase of the emulsion is well dispersed into the external or continuous phase and maintained in this form through the means of emulsifiers or the viscosity of the formulation. Either of the phases of the emulsion may be a semisolid or a solid, as is the case of emulsion-style ointment bases and creams. Other means of stabilizing emulsions entail the use of emulsifiers that may be incorporated into either phase of the emulsion. Emulsifiers may broadly be classified into four categories: synthetic surfactants, naturally occurring emulsifiers, absorption bases, and finely dispersed solids (Idson, in Pharmaceutical Dosage Forms, Lieberman, Rieger and Banker (Eds.), 1988, Marcel Dekker, Inc., New York, N.Y., volume 1, p. 199).

Synthetic surfactants, also known as surface active agents, have found wide applicability in the formulation of emulsions and have been reviewed in the literature (Rieger, in Pharmaceutical Dosage Forms, Lieberman, Rieger and Banker (Eds.), 1988, Marcel Dekker, Inc., New York, N.Y., volume 1, p. 285; Idson, in Pharmaceutical Dosage Forms, Lieberman, Rieger and Banker (Eds.), Marcel Dekker, Inc., New York, N.Y., 1988, volume 1, p. 199). Surfactants are typically amphiphilic and comprise a hydrophilic and a hydrophobic portion. The ratio of the hydrophilic to the hydrophobic nature of the surfactant has been termed the hydrophile/lipophile balance (HLB) and is a valuable tool in categorizing and selecting surfactants in the preparation of formulations. Surfactants may be classified into different classes based on the nature of the hydrophilic group: nonionic, anionic, cationic and amphoteric (Rieger, in Pharmaceutical Dosage Forms, Lieberman, Rieger and Banker (Eds.), 1988, Marcel Dekker, Inc., New York, N.Y., volume 1, p. 285).

Naturally occurring emulsifiers used in emulsion formulations include lanolin, beeswax, phosphatides, lecithin and acacia. Absorption bases possess hydrophilic properties such that they can soak up water to form w/o emulsions yet retain their semisolid consistencies, such as anhydrous lanolin and hydrophilic petrolatum. Finely divided solids have also been used as good emulsifiers especially in combination with surfactants and in viscous preparations. These include polar inorganic solids, such as heavy metal hydroxides, nonswelling clays such as bentonite, attapulgite, hectorite, kaolin, montmorillonite, colloidal aluminum silicate and colloidal magnesium aluminum silicate, pigments and nonpolar solids such as carbon or glyceryl tristearate.

A large variety of non-emulsifying materials are also included in emulsion formulations and contribute to the properties of emulsions. These include fats, oils, waxes, fatty acids, fatty alcohols, fatty esters, humectants, hydrophilic colloids, preservatives and antioxidants (Block, in Pharmaceutical Dosage Forms, Lieberman, Rieger and Banker (Eds.), 1988, Marcel Dekker, Inc., New York, N.Y., volume 1, p. 335; Idson, in Pharmaceutical Dosage Forms, Lieberman, Rieger and Banker (Eds.), 1988, Marcel Dekker, Inc., New York, N.Y., volume 1, p. 199).

Hydrophilic colloids or hydrocolloids include naturally occurring gums and synthetic polymers such as polysaccharides (for example, acacia, agar, alginic acid, carrageenan, guar gum, karaya gum, and tragacanth), cellulose derivatives (for example, carboxymethylcellulose and carboxypropylcellulose), and synthetic polymers (for example, carbomers, cellulose ethers, and carboxyvinyl polymers). These disperse or swell in water to form colloidal solutions that stabilize emulsions by forming strong interfacial films around the dispersed-phase droplets and by increasing the viscosity of the external phase.

Since emulsions often contain a number of ingredients such as carbohydrates, proteins, sterols and phosphatides that may readily support the growth of microbes, these formulations often incorporate preservatives. Commonly used preservatives included in emulsion formulations include methyl paraben, propyl paraben, quaternary ammonium salts, benzalkonium chloride, esters of p-hydroxybenzoic acid, and boric acid. Antioxidants are also commonly added to emulsion formulations to prevent deterioration of the formulation. Antioxidants used may be free radical scavengers such as tocopherols, alkyl gallates, butylated hydroxyanisole, butylated hydroxytoluene, or reducing agents such as ascorbic acid and sodium metabisulfite, and antioxidant synergists such as citric acid, tartaric acid, and lecithin.

The application of emulsion formulations via dermatological, oral and parenteral routes and methods for their manufacture have been reviewed in the literature (Idson, in Pharmaceutical Dosage Forms, Lieberman, Rieger and Banker (Eds.), 1988, Marcel Dekker, Inc., New York, N.Y., volume 1, p. 199). Emulsion formulations for oral delivery have been very widely used because of reasons of ease of formulation, efficacy from an absorption and bioavailability standpoint. (Rosoff, in Pharmaceutical Dosage Forms, Lieberman, Rieger and Banker (Eds.), 1988, Marcel Dekker, Inc., New York, N.Y., volume 1, p. 245; Idson, in Pharmaceutical Dosage Forms, Lieberman, Rieger and Banker (Eds.), 1988, Marcel Dekker, Inc., New York, N.Y., volume 1, p. 199). Mineral-oil base laxatives, oil-soluble vitamins and high fat nutritive preparations are among the materials that have commonly been administered orally as o/w emulsions.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the compositions of oligonucleotides and nucleic acids are formulated as microemulsions. A microemulsion may be defined as a system of water, oil and amphiphile which is a single optically isotropic and thermodynamically stable liquid solution (Rosoff, in Pharmaceutical Dosage Forms, Lieberman, Rieger and Banker (Eds.), 1988, Marcel Dekker, Inc., New York, N.Y., volume 1, p. 245). Typically microemulsions are systems that are prepared by first dispersing an oil in an aqueous surfactant solution and then adding a sufficient amount of a fourth component, generally an intermediate chain-length alcohol to form a transparent system. Therefore, microemulsions have also been described as thermodynamically stable, isotropically clear dispersions of two immiscible liquids that are stabilized by interfacial films of surface-active molecules (Leung and Shah, in: Controlled Release of Drugs: Polymers and Aggregate Systems, Rosoff, M., Ed., 1989, VCH Publishers, New York, pages 185-215). Microemulsions commonly are prepared via a combination of three to five components that include oil, water, surfactant, cosurfactant and electrolyte. Whether the microemulsion is of the water-in-oil (w/o) or an oil-in-water (o/w) type is dependent on the properties of the oil and surfactant used and on the structure and geometric packing of the polar heads and hydrocarbon tails of the surfactant molecules (Schott, in Remington's Pharmaceutical Sciences, Mack Publishing Co., Easton, Pa., 1985, p. 271).

The phenomenological approach utilizing phase diagrams has been extensively studied and has yielded a comprehensive knowledge, to one skilled in the art, of how to formulate microemulsions (Rosoff, in Pharmaceutical Dosage Forms, Lieberman, Rieger and Banker (Eds.), 1988, Marcel Dekker, Inc., New York, N.Y., volume 1, p. 245; Block, in Pharmaceutical Dosage Forms, Lieberman, Rieger and Banker (Eds.), 1988, Marcel Dekker, Inc., New York, N.Y., volume 1, p. 335). Compared to conventional emulsions, microemulsions offer the advantage of solubilizing water-insoluble drugs in a formulation of thermodynamically stable droplets that are formed spontaneously.

Surfactants used in the preparation of microemulsions include, but are not limited to, ionic surfactants, non-ionic surfactants, Brij 96, polyoxyethylene oleyl ethers, polyglycerol fatty acid esters, tetraglycerol monolaurate (ML310), tetraglycerol monooleate (MO310), hexaglycerol monooleate (PO310), hexaglycerol pentaoleate (PO500), decaglycerol monocaprate (MCA750), decaglycerol monooleate (MO750), decaglycerol sequioleate (SO750), decaglycerol decaoleate (DAO750), alone or in combination with cosurfactants. The cosurfactant, usually a short-chain alcohol such as ethanol, 1-propanol, and 1-butanol, serves to increase the interfacial fluidity by penetrating into the surfactant film and consequently creating a disordered film because of the void space generated among surfactant molecules. Microemulsions may, however, be prepared without the use of cosurfactants and alcohol-free self-emulsifying microemulsion systems are known in the art. The aqueous phase may typically be, but is not limited to, water, an aqueous solution of the drug, glycerol, PEG300, PEG400, polyglycerols, propylene glycols, and derivatives of ethylene glycol. The oil phase may include, but is not limited to, materials such as Captex 300, Captex 355, Capmul MCM, fatty acid esters, medium chain (C8-C12) mono, di, and tri-glycerides, polyoxyethylated glyceryl fatty acid esters, fatty alcohols, polyglycolized glycerides, saturated polyglycolized C8-C10 glycerides, vegetable oils and silicone oil.

Microemulsions are particularly of interest from the standpoint of drug solubilization and the enhanced absorption of drugs. Lipid based microemulsions (both o/w and w/o) have been proposed to enhance the oral bioavailability of drugs, including peptides (Constantinides et al., Pharmaceutical Research, 1994, 11, 1385-1390; Ritschel, Meth. Find. Exp. Clin. Pharmacol., 1993, 13, 205). Microemulsions afford advantages of improved drug solubilization, protection of drug from enzymatic hydrolysis, possible enhancement of drug absorption due to surfactant-induced alterations in membrane fluidity and permeability, ease of preparation, ease of oral administration over solid dosage forms, improved clinical potency, and decreased toxicity (Constantinides et al., Pharmaceutical Research, 1994, 11, 1385; Ho et al., J. Pharm. Sci., 1996, 85, 138-143). Often microemulsions may form spontaneously when their components are brought together at ambient temperature. This may be particularly advantageous when formulating thermolabile drugs, peptides or oligonucleotides. Microemulsions have also been effective in the transdermal delivery of active components in both cosmetic and pharmaceutical applications. It is expected that the microemulsion compositions and formulations of the present invention will facilitate the increased systemic absorption of oligonucleotides and nucleic acids from the gastrointestinal tract, as well as improve the local cellular uptake of oligonucleotides and nucleic acids within the gastrointestinal tract, vagina, buccal cavity and other areas of administration.

Microemulsions of the present invention may also contain additional components and additives such as sorbitan monostearate (Grill 3), Labrasol, and penetration enhancers to improve the properties of the formulation and to enhance the absorption of the oligonucleotides and nucleic acids of the present invention. Penetration enhancers used in the microemulsions of the present invention may be classified as belonging to one of five broad categories—surfactants, fatty acids, bile salts, chelating agents, and non-chelating non-surfactants (Lee et al., Critical Reviews in Therapeutic Drug Carrier Systems, 1991, p. 92). Each of these classes has been discussed above.

Liposomes

There are many organized surfactant structures besides microemulsions that have been studied and used for the formulation of drugs. These include monolayers, micelles, bilayers and vesicles. Vesicles, such as liposomes, have attracted great interest because of their specificity and the duration of action they offer from the standpoint of drug delivery. As used in the present invention, the term “liposome” means a vesicle composed of amphiphilic lipids arranged in a spherical bilayer or bilayers.

Liposomes are unilamellar or multilamellar vesicles which have a membrane formed from a lipophilic material and an aqueous interior. The aqueous portion contains the composition to be delivered. Cationic liposomes possess the advantage of being able to fuse to the cell wall. Non-cationic liposomes, although not able to fuse as efficiently with the cell wall, are taken up by macrophages in vivo.

In order to cross intact mammalian skin, lipid vesicles must pass through a series of fine pores, each with a diameter less than 50 nm, under the influence of a suitable transdermal gradient. Therefore, it is desirable to use a liposome which is highly deformable and able to pass through such fine pores.

Further advantages of liposomes include; liposomes obtained from natural phospholipids are biocompatible and biodegradable; liposomes can incorporate a wide range of water and lipid soluble drugs; liposomes can protect encapsulated drugs in their internal compartments from metabolism and degradation (Rosoff, in Pharmaceutical Dosage Forms, Lieberman, Rieger and Banker (Eds.), 1988, Marcel Dekker, Inc., New York, N.Y., volume 1, p. 245). Important considerations in the preparation of liposome formulations are the lipid surface charge, vesicle size and the aqueous volume of the liposomes.

Liposomes are useful for the transfer and delivery of active ingredients to the site of action. Because the liposomal membrane is structurally similar to biological membranes, when liposomes are applied to a tissue, the liposomes start to merge with the cellular membranes. As the merging of the liposome and cell progresses, the liposomal contents are emptied into the cell where the active agent may act.

Liposomal formulations have been the focus of extensive investigation as the mode of delivery for many drugs. There is growing evidence that for topical administration, liposomes present several advantages over other formulations. Such advantages include reduced side-effects related to high systemic absorption of the administered drug, increased accumulation of the administered drug at the desired target, and the ability to administer a wide variety of drugs, both hydrophilic and hydrophobic, into the skin.

Several reports have detailed the ability of liposomes to deliver agents including high-molecular weight DNA into the skin. Compounds including analgesics, antibodies, hormones and high-molecular weight DNAs have been administered to the skin. The majority of applications resulted in the targeting of the upper epidermis.

Liposomes fall into two broad classes. Cationic liposomes are positively charged liposomes which interact with the negatively charged DNA molecules to form a stable complex. The positively charged DNA/liposome complex binds to the negatively charged cell surface and is internalized in an endosome. Due to the acidic pH within the endosome, the liposomes are ruptured, releasing their contents into the cell cytoplasm (Wang et al., Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun., 1987, 147, 980-985).

Liposomes which are pH-sensitive or negatively-charged, entrap DNA rather than complex with it. Since both the DNA and the lipid are similarly charged, repulsion rather than complex formation occurs. Nevertheless, some DNA is entrapped within the aqueous interior of these liposomes. pH-sensitive liposomes have been used to deliver DNA encoding the thymidine kinase gene to cell monolayers in culture. Expression of the exogenous gene was detected in the target cells (Zhou et al., Journal of Controlled Release, 1992, 19, 269-274).

One major type of liposomal composition includes phospholipids other than naturally-derived phosphatidylcholine. Neutral liposome compositions, for example, can be formed from dimyristoyl phosphatidylcholine (DMPC) or dipalmitoyl phosphatidylcholine (DPPC). Anionic liposome compositions generally are formed from dimyristoyl phosphatidylglycerol, while anionic fusogenic liposomes are formed primarily from dioleoyl phosphatidylethanolamine (DOPE). Another type of liposomal composition is formed from phosphatidylcholine (PC) such as, for example, soybean PC, and egg PC. Another type is formed from mixtures of phospholipid and/or phosphatidylcholine and/or cholesterol.

Several studies have assessed the topical delivery of liposomal drug formulations to the skin. Application of liposomes containing interferon to guinea pig skin resulted in a reduction of skin herpes sores while delivery of interferon via other means (e.g. as a solution or as an emulsion) were ineffective (Weiner et al., Journal of Drug Targeting, 1992, 2, 405-410). Further, an additional study tested the efficacy of interferon administered as part of a liposomal formulation to the administration of interferon using an aqueous system, and concluded that the liposomal formulation was superior to aqueous administration (du Plessis et al., Antiviral Research, 1992, 18, 259-265).

Non-ionic liposomal systems have also been examined to determine their utility in the delivery of drugs to the skin, in particular systems comprising non-ionic surfactant and cholesterol. Non-ionic liposomal formulations comprising Novasome™ I (glyceryl dilaurate/cholesterol/polyoxyethylene-10-stearyl ether) and Novasome™ II (glyceryl distearate/cholesterol/polyoxyethylene-10-stearyl ether) were used to deliver cyclosporin-A into the dermis of mouse skin. Results indicated that such non-ionic liposomal systems were effective in facilitating the deposition of cyclosporin-A into different layers of the skin (Hu et al. S. T. P. Pharma. Sci., 1994, 4, 6, 466).

Liposomes also include “sterically stabilized” liposomes, a term which, as used herein, refers to liposomes comprising one or more specialized lipids that, when incorporated into liposomes, result in enhanced circulation lifetimes relative to liposomes lacking such specialized lipids. Examples of sterically stabilized liposomes are those in which part of the vesicle-forming lipid portion of the liposome (A) comprises one or more glycolipids, such as monosialoganglioside G_(M1), or (B) is derivatized with one or more hydrophilic polymers, such as a polyethylene glycol (PEG) moiety. While not wishing to be bound by any particular theory, it is thought in the art that, at least for sterically stabilized liposomes containing gangliosides, sphingomyelin, or PEG-derivatized lipids, the enhanced circulation half-life of these sterically stabilized liposomes derives from a reduced uptake into cells of the reticuloendothelial system (RES) (Allen et al., FEBS Letters, 1987, 223, 42; Wu et al., Cancer Research, 1993, 53, 3765).

Various liposomes comprising one or more glycolipids are known in the art. Papahadjopoulos et al. (Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci., 1987, 507, 64) reported the ability of monosialoganglioside G_(M1), galactocerebroside sulfate and phosphatidylinositol to improve blood half-lives of liposomes. These findings were expounded upon by Gabizon et al. (Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A., 1988, 85, 6949). U.S. Pat. No. 4,837,028 and WO 88/04924, both to Allen et al., disclose liposomes comprising (1) sphingomyelin and (2) the ganglioside GM1 or a galactocerebroside sulfate ester. U.S. Pat. No. 5,543,152 (Webb et al.) discloses liposomes comprising sphingomyelin. Liposomes comprising 1,2-sn-dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine are disclosed in WO 97/13499 (Lim et al.).

Many liposomes comprising lipids derivatized with one or more hydrophilic polymers, and methods of preparation thereof, are known in the art. Sunamoto et al. (Bull. Chem. Soc. Jpn., 1980, 53, 2778) described liposomes comprising a nonionic detergent, 2C₁₂15G, that contains a PEG moiety. Illum et al. (FEBS Lett., 1984, 167, 79) noted that hydrophilic coating of polystyrene particles with polymeric glycols results in significantly enhanced blood half-lives. Synthetic phospholipids modified by the attachment of carboxylic groups of polyalkylene glycols (e.g., PEG) are described by Sears (U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,426,330 and 4,534,899). Klibanov et al. (FEBS Lett., 1990, 268, 235) described experiments demonstrating that liposomes comprising phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) derivatized with PEG or PEG stearate have significant increases in blood circulation half-lives. Blume et al. (Biochimica et Biophysica Acta, 1990, 1029, 91) extended such observations to other PEG-derivatized phospholipids, e.g., DSPE-PEG, formed from the combination of distearoylphosphatidylethanolamine (DSPE) and PEG. Liposomes having covalently bound PEG moieties on their external surface are described in European Patent No. EP 0 445 131 B1 and WO 90/04384 to Fisher. Liposome compositions containing 1-20 mole percent of PE derivatized with PEG, and methods of use thereof, are described by Woodle et al. (U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,013,556 and 5,356,633) and Martin et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 5,213,804 and European Patent No. EP 0 496 813 B1). Liposomes comprising a number of other lipid-polymer conjugates are disclosed in WO 91/05545 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,225,212 (both to Martin et al.) and in WO 94/20073 (Zalipsky et al.) Liposomes comprising PEG-modified ceramide lipids are described in WO 96/10391 (Choi et al.). U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,540,935 (Miyazaki et al.) and 5,556,948 (Tagawa et al.) describe PEG-containing liposomes that can be further derivatized with functional moieties on their surfaces.

A limited number of liposomes comprising nucleic acids are known in the art. WO 96/40062 to Thierry et al. discloses methods for encapsulating high molecular weight nucleic acids in liposomes. U.S. Pat. No. 5,264,221 to Tagawa et al. discloses protein-bonded liposomes and asserts that the contents of such liposomes may include an antisense RNA. U.S. Pat. No. 5,665,710 to Rahman et al. describes certain methods of encapsulating oligodeoxynucleotides in liposomes. WO 97/04787 to Love et al. discloses liposomes comprising antisense oligonucleotides targeted to the raf gene.

Transfersomes are yet another type of liposomes, and are highly deformable lipid aggregates which are attractive candidates for drug delivery vehicles. Transfersomes may be described as lipid droplets which are so highly deformable that they are easily able to penetrate through pores which are smaller than the droplet. Transfersomes are adaptable to the environment in which they are used, e.g. they are self-optimizing (adaptive to the shape of pores in the skin), self-repairing, frequently reach their targets without fragmenting, and often self-loading. To make transfersomes it is possible to add surface edge-activators, usually surfactants, to a standard liposomal composition. Transfersomes have been used to deliver serum albumin to the skin. The transfersome-mediated delivery of serum albumin has been shown to be as effective as subcutaneous injection of a solution containing serum albumin.

Surfactants find wide application in formulations such as emulsions (including microemulsions) and liposomes. The most common way of classifying and ranking the properties of the many different types of surfactants, both natural and synthetic, is by the use of the hydrophile/lipophile balance (HLB). The nature of the hydrophilic group (also known as the “head”) provides the most useful means for categorizing the different surfactants used in formulations (Rieger, in Pharmaceutical Dosage Forms, Marcel Dekker, Inc., New York, N.Y., 1988, p. 285).

If the surfactant molecule is not ionized, it is classified as a nonionic surfactant. Nonionic surfactants find wide application in pharmaceutical and cosmetic products and are usable over a wide range of pH values. In general their HLB values range from 2 to about 18 depending on their structure. Nonionic surfactants include nonionic esters such as ethylene glycol esters, propylene glycol esters, glyceryl esters, polyglyceryl esters, sorbitan esters, sucrose esters, and ethoxylated esters. Nonionic alkanolamides and ethers such as fatty alcohol ethoxylates, propoxylated alcohols, and ethoxylated/propoxylated block polymers are also included in this class. The polyoxyethylene surfactants are the most popular members of the nonionic surfactant class.

If the surfactant molecule carries a negative charge when it is dissolved or dispersed in water, the surfactant is classified as anionic. Anionic surfactants include carboxylates such as soaps, acyl lactylates, acyl amides of amino acids, esters of sulfuric acid such as alkyl sulfates and ethoxylated alkyl sulfates, sulfonates such as alkyl benzene sulfonates, acyl isethionates, acyl taurates and sulfosuccinates, and phosphates. The most important members of the anionic surfactant class are the alkyl sulfates and the soaps.

If the surfactant molecule carries a positive charge when it is dissolved or dispersed in water, the surfactant is classified as cationic. Cationic surfactants include quaternary ammonium salts and ethoxylated amines. The quaternary ammonium salts are the most used members of this class.

If the surfactant molecule has the ability to carry either a positive or negative charge, the surfactant is classified as amphoteric. Amphoteric surfactants include acrylic acid derivatives, substituted alkylamides, N-alkylbetaines and phosphatides.

The use of surfactants in drug products, formulations and in emulsions has been reviewed (Rieger, in Pharmaceutical Dosage Forms, Marcel Dekker, Inc., New York, N.Y., 1988, p. 285).

Penetration Enhancers

In one embodiment, the present invention employs various penetration enhancers to effect the efficient delivery of nucleic acids, particularly oligonucleotides, to the skin of animals. Most drugs are present in solution in both ionized and nonionized forms. However, usually only lipid soluble or lipophilic drugs readily cross cell membranes. It has been discovered that even non-lipophilic drugs may cross cell membranes if the membrane to be crossed is treated with a penetration enhancer. In addition to aiding the diffusion of non-lipophilic drugs across cell membranes, penetration enhancers also enhance the permeability of lipophilic drugs.

Penetration enhancers may be classified as belonging to one of five broad categories, i.e., surfactants, fatty acids, bile salts, chelating agents, and non-chelating non-surfactants (Lee et al., Critical Reviews in Therapeutic Drug Carrier Systems, 1991, p.92). Each of the above mentioned classes of penetration enhancers are described below in greater detail.

Surfactants: In connection with the present invention, surfactants (or “surface-active agents”) are chemical entities which, when dissolved in an aqueous solution, reduce the surface tension of the solution or the interfacial tension between the aqueous solution and another liquid, with the result that absorption of oligonucleotides through the mucosa is enhanced. In addition to bile salts and fatty acids, these penetration enhancers include, for example, sodium lauryl sulfate, polyoxyethylene-9-lauryl ether and polyoxyethylene-20-cetyl ether) (Lee et al., Critical Reviews in Therapeutic Drug Carrier Systems, 1991, p.92); and perfluorochemical emulsions, such as FC-43. Takahashi et al., J. Pharm. Pharmacol., 1988, 40, 252).

Fatty acids: Various fatty acids and their derivatives which act as penetration enhancers include, for example, oleic acid, lauric acid, capric acid (n-decanoic acid), myristic acid, palmitic acid, stearic acid, linoleic acid, linolenic acid, dicaprate, tricaprate, monoolein (1-monooleoyl-rac-glycerol), dilaurin, caprylic acid, arachidonic acid, glycerol 1-monocaprate, 1-dodecylazacycloheptan-2-one, acylcarnitines, acylcholines, C₁₋₁₀ alkyl esters thereof (e.g., methyl, isopropyl and t-butyl), and mono- and di-glycerides thereof (i.e., oleate, laurate, caprate, myristate, palmitate, stearate, linoleate, etc.) (Lee et al., Critical Reviews in Therapeutic Drug Carrier Systems, 1991, p.92; Muranishi, Critical Reviews in Therapeutic Drug Carrier Systems, 1990, 7, 1-33; El Hariri et al., J. Pharm. Pharmacol., 1992, 44, 651-654).

Bile salts: The physiological role of bile includes the facilitation of dispersion and absorption of lipids and fat-soluble vitamins (Brunton, Chapter 38 in: Goodman & Gilman's The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics, 9th Ed., Hardman et al. Eds., McGraw-Hill, New York, 1996, pp. 934-935). Various natural bile salts, and their synthetic derivatives, act as penetration enhancers. Thus the term “bile salts” includes any of the naturally occurring components of bile as well as any of their synthetic derivatives. The bile salts of the invention include, for example, cholic acid (or its pharmaceutically acceptable sodium salt, sodium cholate), dehydrocholic acid (sodium dehydrocholate), deoxycholic acid (sodium deoxycholate), glucholic acid (sodium glucholate), glycholic acid (sodium glycocholate), glycodeoxycholic acid (sodium glycodeoxycholate), taurocholic acid (sodium taurocholate), taurodeoxycholic acid (sodium taurodeoxycholate), chenodeoxycholic acid (sodium chenodeoxycholate), ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA), sodium tauro-24,25-dihydro-fusidate (STDHF), sodium glycodihydrofusidate and polyoxyethylene-9-lauryl ether (POE) (Lee et al., Critical Reviews in Therapeutic Drug Carrier Systems, 1991, page 92; Swinyard, Chapter 39 In: Remington's Pharmaceutical Sciences, 18th Ed., Gennaro, ed., Mack Publishing Co., Easton, Pa., 1990, pages 782-783; Muranishi, Critical Reviews in Therapeutic Drug Carrier Systems, 1990, 7, 1-33; Yamamoto et al., J. Pharm. Exp. Ther., 1992, 263, 25; Yamashita et al., J. Pharm. Sci., 1990, 79, 579-583).

Chelating Agents: Chelating agents, as used in connection with the present invention, can be defined as compounds that remove metallic ions from solution by forming complexes therewith, with the result that absorption of oligonucleotides through the mucosa is enhanced. With regards to their use as penetration enhancers in the present invention, chelating agents have the added advantage of also serving as DNase inhibitors, as most characterized DNA nucleases require a divalent metal ion for catalysis and are thus inhibited by chelating agents (Jarrett, J. Chromatogr., 1993, 618, 315-339). Chelating agents of the invention include but are not limited to disodium ethylenediaminetetraacetate (EDTA), citric acid, salicylates (e.g., sodium salicylate, 5-methoxysalicylate and homovanilate), N-acyl derivatives of collagen, laureth-9 and N-amino acyl derivatives of beta-diketones (enamines) (Lee et al., Critical Reviews in Therapeutic Drug Carrier Systems, 1991, page 92; Muranishi, Critical Reviews in Therapeutic Drug Carrier Systems, 1990, 7, 1-33; Buur et al., J. Control Rel., 1990, 14, 43-51).

Non-chelating non-surfactants: As used herein, non-chelating non-surfactant penetration enhancing compounds can be defined as compounds that demonstrate insignificant activity as chelating agents or as surfactants but that nonetheless enhance absorption of oligonucleotides through the alimentary mucosa (Muranishi, Critical Reviews in Therapeutic Drug Carrier Systems, 1990, 7, 1-33). This class of penetration enhancers include, for example, unsaturated cyclic ureas, 1-alkyl- and 1-alkenylazacyclo-alkanone derivatives (Lee et al., Critical Reviews in Therapeutic Drug Carrier Systems, 1991, page 92); and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents such as diclofenac sodium, indomethacin and phenylbutazone (Yamashita et al., J. Pharm. Pharmacol., 1987, 39, 621-626).

Agents that enhance uptake of oligonucleotides at the cellular level may also be added to the pharmaceutical and other compositions of the present invention. For example, cationic lipids, such as lipofectin (Junichi et al, U.S. Pat. No. 5,705,188), cationic glycerol derivatives, and polycationic molecules, such as polylysine (Lollo et al., PCT Application WO 97/30731), are also known to enhance the cellular uptake of oligonucleotides.

Other agents may be utilized to enhance the penetration of the administered nucleic acids, including glycols such as ethylene glycol and propylene glycol, pyrrols such as 2-pyrrol, azones, and terpenes such as limonene and menthone.

Carriers

Certain compositions of the present invention also incorporate carrier compounds in the formulation. As used herein, “carrier compound” or “carrier” can refer to a nucleic acid, or analog thereof, which is inert (i.e., does not possess biological activity per se) but is recognized as a nucleic acid by in vivo processes that reduce the bioavailability of a nucleic acid having biological activity by, for example, degrading the biologically active nucleic acid or promoting its removal from circulation. The coadministration of a nucleic acid and a carrier compound, typically with an excess of the latter substance, can result in a substantial reduction of the amount of nucleic acid recovered in the liver, kidney or other extracirculatory reservoirs, presumably due to competition between the carrier compound and the nucleic acid for a common receptor. For example, the recovery of a partially phosphorothioate oligonucleotide in hepatic tissue can be reduced when it is coadministered with polyinosinic acid, dextran sulfate, polycytidic acid or 4-acetamido-4′isothiocyano-stilbene-2,2′-disulfonic acid (Miyao et al., Antisense Res. Dev., 1995, 5, 115-121; Takakura et al., Antisense & Nucl. Acid Drug Dev., 1996, 6, 177-183).

Excipients

In contrast to a carrier compound, a “pharmaceutical carrier” or “excipient” is a pharmaceutically acceptable solvent, suspending agent or any other pharmacologically inert vehicle for delivering one or more nucleic acids to an animal. The excipient may be liquid or solid and is selected, with the planned manner of administration in mind, so as to provide for the desired bulk, consistency, etc., when combined with a nucleic acid and the other components of a given pharmaceutical composition. Typical pharmaceutical carriers include, but are not limited to, binding agents (e.g., pregelatinized maize starch, polyvinylpyrrolidone or hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, etc.); fillers (e.g., lactose and other sugars, microcrystalline cellulose, pectin, gelatin, calcium sulfate, ethyl cellulose, polyacrylates or calcium hydrogen phosphate, etc.); lubricants (e.g., magnesium stearate, talc, silica, colloidal silicon dioxide, stearic acid, metallic stearates, hydrogenated vegetable oils, corn starch, polyethylene glycols, sodium benzoate, sodium acetate, etc.); disintegrants (e.g., starch, sodium starch glycolate, etc.); and wetting agents (e.g., sodium lauryl sulphate, etc.).

Pharmaceutically acceptable organic or inorganic excipient suitable for non-parenteral administration which do not deleteriously react with nucleic acids can also be used to formulate the compositions of the present invention. Suitable pharmaceutically acceptable carriers include, but are not limited to, water, salt solutions, alcohols, polyethylene glycols, gelatin, lactose, amylose, magnesium stearate, talc, silicic acid, viscous paraffin, hydroxymethylcellulose, polyvinylpyrrolidone and the like.

Formulations for topical administration of nucleic acids may include sterile and non-sterile aqueous solutions, non-aqueous solutions in common solvents such as alcohols, or solutions of the nucleic acids in liquid or solid oil bases. The solutions may also contain buffers, diluents and other suitable additives. Pharmaceutically acceptable organic or inorganic excipients suitable for non-parenteral administration which do not deleteriously react with nucleic acids can be used.

Suitable pharmaceutically acceptable excipients include, but are not limited to, water, salt solutions, alcohol, polyethylene glycols, gelatin, lactose, amylose, magnesium stearate, talc, silicic acid, viscous paraffin, hydroxymethylcellulose, polyvinylpyrrolidone and the like.

Other Components

The compositions of the present invention may additionally contain other adjunct components conventionally found in pharmaceutical compositions, at their art-established usage levels. Thus, for example, the compositions may contain additional, compatible, pharmaceutically-active materials such as, for example, antipruritics, astringents, local anesthetics or anti-inflammatory agents, or may contain additional materials useful in physically formulating various dosage forms of the compositions of the present invention, such as dyes, flavoring agents, preservatives, antioxidants, opacifiers, thickening agents and stabilizers. However, such materials, when added, should not unduly interfere with the biological activities of the components of the compositions of the present invention. The formulations can be sterilized and, if desired, mixed with auxiliary agents, e.g., lubricants, preservatives, stabilizers, wetting agents, emulsifiers, salts for influencing osmotic pressure, buffers, colorings, flavorings and/or aromatic substances and the like which do not deleteriously interact with the nucleic acid(s) of the formulation.

Aqueous suspensions may contain substances which increase the viscosity of the suspension including, for example, sodium carboxymethylcellulose, sorbitol and/or dextran. The suspension may also contain stabilizers.

Certain embodiments of the invention provide pharmaceutical compositions containing (a) one or more antisense compounds and (b) one or more other chemotherapeutic agents which function by a non-antisense mechanism. Examples of such chemotherapeutic agents include but are not limited to daunorubicin, daunomycin, dactinomycin, doxorubicin, epirubicin, idarubicin, esorubicin, bleomycin, mafosfamide, ifosfamide, cytosine arabinoside, bis-chloroethylnitrosurea, busulfan, mitomycin C, actinomycin D, mithramycin, prednisone, hydroxyprogesterone, testosterone, tamoxifen, dacarbazine, procarbazine, hexamethylmelamine, pentamethylmelamine, mitoxantrone, amsacrine, chlorambucil, methylcyclohexylnitrosurea, nitrogen mustards, melphalan, cyclophosphamide, 6-mercaptopurine, 6-thioguanine, cytarabine, 5-azacytidine, hydroxyurea, deoxycoformycin, 4-hydroxyperoxycyclophosphoramide, 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), 5-fluorodeoxyuridine (5-FUdR), methotrexate (MTX), colchicine, taxol, vincristine, vinblastine, etoposide (VP-16), trimetrexate, irinotecan, topotecan, gemcitabine, teniposide, cisplatin and diethylstilbestrol (DES). See, generally, The Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy, 15th Ed. 1987, pp. 1206-1228, Berkow et al., eds., Rahway, N.J. When used with the compounds of the invention, such chemotherapeutic agents may be used individually (e.g., 5-FU and oligonucleotide), sequentially (e.g., 5-FU and oligonucleotide for a period of time followed by MTX and oligonucleotide), or in combination with one or more other such chemotherapeutic agents (e.g., 5-FU, MTX and oligonucleotide, or 5-FU, radiotherapy and oligonucleotide). Anti-inflammatory drugs, including but not limited to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and corticosteroids, and antiviral drugs, including but not limited to ribivirin, vidarabine, acyclovir and ganciclovir, may also be combined in compositions of the invention. See, generally, The Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy, 15th Ed., Berkow et al., eds., 1987, Rahway, N.J., pages 2499-2506 and 46-49, respectively). Other non-antisense chemotherapeutic agents are also within the scope of this invention. Two or more combined compounds may be used together or sequentially.

In another related embodiment, compositions of the invention may contain one or more antisense compounds, particularly oligonucleotides, targeted to a first nucleic acid and one or more additional antisense compounds targeted to a second nucleic acid target. Numerous examples of antisense compounds are known in the art. Two or more combined compounds may be used together or sequentially.

The formulation of therapeutic compositions and their subsequent administration is believed to be within the skill of those in the art. Dosing is dependent on severity and responsiveness of the disease state to be treated, with the course of treatment lasting from several days to several months, or until a cure is effected or a diminution of the disease state is achieved. Optimal dosing schedules can be calculated from measurements of drug accumulation in the body of the patient. Persons of ordinary skill can easily determine optimum dosages, dosing methodologies and repetition rates. Optimum dosages may vary depending on the relative potency of individual oligonucleotides, and can generally be estimated based on EC₅₀s found to be effective in in vitro and in vivo animal models. In general, dosage is from 0.01 ug to 100 g per kg of body weight, and may be given once or more daily, weekly, monthly or yearly, or even once every 2 to 20 years. Persons of ordinary skill in the art can easily estimate repetition rates for dosing based on measured residence times and concentrations of the drug in bodily fluids or tissues. Following successful treatment, it may be desirable to have the patient undergo maintenance therapy to prevent the recurrence of the disease state, wherein the oligonucleotide is administered in maintenance doses, ranging from 0.01 ug to 100 g per kg of body weight, once or more daily, to once every 20 years.

While the present invention has been described with specificity in accordance with certain of its preferred embodiments, the following examples serve only to illustrate the invention and are not intended to limit the same.

EXAMPLES Example 1

Nucleoside Phosphoramidites for Oligonucleotide Synthesis Deoxy and 2′-alkoxy Amidites

2′-Deoxy and 2′-methoxy beta-cyanoethyldiisopropyl phosphoramidites were purchased from commercial sources (e.g. Chemgenes, Needham Mass. or Glen Research, Inc. Sterling Va.). Other 2′-O-alkoxy substituted nucleoside amidites are prepared as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,506,351, herein incorporated by reference. For oligonucleotides synthesized using 2′-alkoxy amidites, the standard cycle for unmodified oligonucleotides was utilized, except the wait step after pulse delivery of tetrazole and base was increased to 360 seconds.

Oligonucleotides containing 5-methyl-2′-deoxycytidine (5-Me-C) nucleotides were synthesized according to published methods [Sanghvi, et. al., Nucleic Acids Research, 1993, 21, 3197-3203] using commercially available phosphoramidites (Glen Research, Sterling Va. or ChemGenes, Needham Mass.).

2′-Fluoro Amidites

2′-Fluorodeoxyadenosine Amidites

2′-fluoro oligonucleotides were synthesized as described previously [Kawasaki, et. al., J. Med. Chem., 1993, 36, 831-841] and U.S. Pat. No. 5,670,633, herein incorporated by reference. Briefly, the protected nucleoside N6-benzoyl-2′-deoxy-2′-fluoroadenosine was synthesized utilizing commercially available 9-beta-D-arabinofuranosyladenine as starting material and by modifying literature procedures whereby the 2′-alpha-fluoro atom is introduced by a S_(N)2-displacement of a 2′-beta-trityl group. Thus N6-benzoyl-9-beta-D-arabinofuranosyladenine was selectively protected in moderate yield as the 3′,5′-ditetrahydropyranyl (THP) intermediate. Deprotection of the THP and N6-benzoyl groups was accomplished using standard methodologies and standard methods were used to obtain the 5′-dimethoxytrityl-(DMT) and 5′-DMT-3′-phosphoramidite intermediates.

2′-Fluorodeoxyguanosine

The synthesis of 2′-deoxy-2′-fluoroguanosine was accomplished using tetraisopropyldisiloxanyl (TPDS) protected 9-beta-D-arabinofuranosylguanine as starting material, and conversion to the intermediate diisobutyryl-arabinofuranosylguanosine. Deprotection of the TPDS group was followed by protection of the hydroxyl group with THP to give diisobutyryl di-THP protected arabinofuranosylguanine. Selective O-deacylation and triflation was followed by treatment of the crude product with fluoride, then deprotection of the THP groups. Standard methodologies were used to obtain the 5′-DMT- and 5′-DMT-3′-phosphoramidites.

2′-Fluorouridine

Synthesis of 2′-deoxy-2′-fluorouridine was accomplished by the modification of a literature procedure in which 2,2′-anhydro-1-beta-D-arabinofuranosyluracil was treated with 70% hydrogen fluoride-pyridine. Standard procedures were used to obtain the 5′-DMT and 5′-DMT-3′phosphoramidites.

2′-Fluorodeoxycytidine

2′-deoxy-2′-fluorocytidine was synthesized via amination of 2′-deoxy-2′-fluorouridine, followed by selective protection to give N4-benzoyl-2′-deoxy-2′-fluorocytidine. Standard procedures were used to obtain the 5′-DMT and 5′-DMT-3′phosphoramidites.

2′-O-(2-Methoxyethyl) Modified Amidites

2′-O-Methoxyethyl-substituted nucleoside amidites are prepared as follows, or alternatively, as per the methods of Martin, P., Helvetica Chimica Acta, 1995, 78, 486-504.

2,2′-Anhydro[1-(beta-D-arabinofuranosyl)-5-methyluridine]

5-Methyluridine (ribosylthymine, commercially available through Yamasa, Choshi, Japan) (72.0 g, 0.279 M), diphenyl-carbonate (90.0 g, 0.420 M) and sodium bicarbonate (2.0 g, 0.024 M) were added to DMF (300 mL). The mixture was heated to reflux, with stirring, allowing the evolved carbon dioxide gas to be released in a controlled manner. After 1 hour, the slightly darkened solution was concentrated under reduced pressure. The resulting syrup was poured into diethylether (2.5 L), with stirring. The product formed a gum. The ether was decanted and the residue was dissolved in a minimum amount of methanol (ca. 400 mL). The solution was poured into fresh ether (2.5 L) to yield a stiff gum. The ether was decanted and the gum was dried in a vacuum oven (60° C. at 1 mm Hg for 24 h) to give a solid that was crushed to a light tan powder (57 g, 85% crude yield). The NMR spectrum was consistent with the structure, contaminated with phenol as its sodium salt (ca. 5%). The material was used as is for further reactions (or it can be purified further by column chromatography using a gradient of methanol in ethyl acetate (10-25%) to give a white solid, mp 222-4° C.).

2′-O-Methoxyethyl-5-methyluridine

2,2′-Anhydro-5-methyluridine (195 g, 0.81 M), tris(2-methoxyethyl)borate (231 g, 0.98 M) and 2-methoxyethanol (1.2 L) were added to a 2 L stainless steel pressure vessel and placed in a pre-heated oil bath at 160° C. After heating for 48 hours at 155-160° C., the vessel was opened and the solution evaporated to dryness and triturated with MeOH (200 mL). The residue was suspended in hot acetone (1 L). The insoluble salts were filtered, washed with acetone (150 mL) and the filtrate evaporated. The residue (280 g) was dissolved in CH₃CN (600 mL) and evaporated. A silica gel column (3 kg) was packed in CH₂Cl₂/acetone/MeOH (20:5:3) containing 0.5% Et₃NH. The residue was dissolved in CH₂Cl₂ (250 mL) and adsorbed onto silica (150 g) prior to loading onto the column. The product was eluted with the packing solvent to give 160 g (63%) of product. Additional material was obtained by reworking impure fractions.

2′-O-Methoxyethyl-5′-o-dimethoxytrityl-5-methyluridine

2′-O-Methoxyethyl-5-methyluridine (160 g, 0.506 M) was co-evaporated with pyridine (250 mL) and the dried residue dissolved in pyridine (1.3 L). A first aliquot of dimethoxytrityl chloride (94.3 g, 0.278 M) was added and the mixture stirred at room temperature for one hour. A second aliquot of dimethoxytrityl chloride (94.3 g, 0.278 M) was added and the reaction stirred for an additional one hour. Methanol (170 mL) was then added to stop the reaction. HPLC showed the presence of approximately 70% product. The solvent was evaporated and triturated with CH₃CN (200 mL). The residue was dissolved in CHCl₃ (1.5 L) and extracted with 2×500 mL of saturated NaHCO₃ and 2×500 mL of saturated NaCl. The organic phase was dried over Na₂SO₄, filtered and evaporated. 275 g of residue was obtained. The residue was purified on a 3.5 kg silica gel column, packed and eluted with EtOAc/hexane/acetone (5:5:1) containing 0.5% Et₃NH. The pure fractions were evaporated to give 164 g of product. Approximately 20 g additional was obtained from the impure fractions to give a total yield of 183 g (57%).

3′-O-Acetyl-2′-O-methoxyethyl-5′-O-dimethoxytrityl-5-methyluridine

2′-O-Methoxyethyl-5′-O-dimethoxytrityl-5-methyluridine (106 g, 0.167 M), DMF/pyridine (750 mL of a 3:1 mixture prepared from 562 mL of DMF and 188 mL of pyridine) and acetic anhydride (24.38 mL, 0.258 M) were combined and stirred at room temperature for 24 hours. The reaction was monitored by TLC by first quenching the TLC sample with the addition of MeOH. Upon completion of the reaction, as judged by TLC, MeOH (50 mL) was added and the mixture evaporated at 35° C. The residue was dissolved in CHCl₃ (800 mL) and extracted with 2×200 mL of saturated sodium bicarbonate and 2×200 mL of saturated NaCl. The water layers were back extracted with 200 mL of CHCl₃. The combined organics were dried with sodium sulfate and evaporated to give 122 g of residue (approx. 90% product). The residue was purified on a 3.5 kg silica gel column and eluted using EtOAc/hexane (4:1). Pure product fractions were evaporated to yield 96 g (84%). An additional 1.5 g was recovered from later fractions.

3′-O-Acetyl-2′-O-methoxyethyl-5′-O-dimethoxytrityl-5-methyl-4-triazoleuridine

A first solution was prepared by dissolving 3′-O-acetyl-2′-O-methoxyethyl-5′-O-dimethoxytrityl-5-methyluridine (96 g, 0.144 M) in CH₃CN (700 mL) and set aside. Triethylamine (189 mL, 1.44 M) was added to a solution of triazole (90 g, 1.3 M) in CH₃CN (1 L), cooled to −5° C. and stirred for 0.5 h using an overhead stirrer. POCl₃ was added dropwise, over a 30 minute period, to the stirred solution maintained at 0-10° C., and the resulting mixture stirred for an additional 2 hours. The first solution was added dropwise, over a 45 minute period, to the latter solution. The resulting reaction mixture was stored overnight in a cold room. Salts were filtered from the reaction mixture and the solution was evaporated. The residue was dissolved in EtOAc (1 L) and the insoluble solids were removed by filtration. The filtrate was washed with 1×300 mL of NaHCO₃ and 2×300 mL of saturated NaCl, dried over sodium sulfate and evaporated. The residue was triturated with EtOAc to give the title compound.

2′-O-Methoxyethyl-5′-O-dimethoxytrityl-5-methylcytidine

A solution of 3′-O-acetyl-2′-O-methoxyethyl-5′-O-dimethoxytrityl-5-methyl-4-triazoleuridine (103 g, 0.141 M) in dioxane (500 mL) and NH₄OH (30 mL) was stirred at room temperature for 2 hours. The dioxane solution was evaporated and the residue azeotroped with MeOH (2×200 mL). The residue was dissolved in MeOH (300 mL) and transferred to a 2 liter stainless steel pressure vessel. MeOH (400 mL) saturated with NH₃ gas was added and the vessel heated to 100° C. for 2 hours (TLC showed complete conversion). The vessel contents were evaporated to dryness and the residue was dissolved in EtOAc (500 mL) and washed once with saturated NaCl (200 mL). The organics were dried over sodium sulfate and the solvent was evaporated to give 85 g (95%) of the title compound.

N4-Benzoyl-2′-O-methoxyethyl-5′-O-dimethoxytrityl-5-methylcytidine

2′-O-Methoxyethyl-5′-O-dimethoxytrityl-5-methylcytidine (85 g, 0.134 M) was dissolved in DMF (800 mL) and benzoic anhydride (37.2 g, 0.165 M) was added with stirring. After stirring for 3 hours, TLC showed the reaction to be approximately 95% complete. The solvent was evaporated and the residue azeotroped with MeOH (200 mL). The residue was dissolved in CHCl₃ (700 mL) and extracted with saturated NaHCO₃ (2×300 mL) and saturated NaCl (2×300 mL), dried over MgSO₄ and evaporated to give a residue (96 g). The residue was chromatographed on a 1.5 kg silica column using EtOAc/hexane (1:1) containing 0.5% Et₃NH as the eluting solvent. The pure product fractions were evaporated to give 90 g (90%) of the title compound.

N4-Benzoyl-2′-O-methoxyethyl-5′-O-dimethoxytrityl-5-methylcytidine-3′-amidite

N4-Benzoyl-2′-O-methoxyethyl-5′-O-dimethoxytrityl-5-methylcytidine (74 g, 0.10 M) was dissolved in CH₂Cl₂ (1 L). Tetrazole diisopropylamine (7.1 g) and 2-cyanoethoxy-tetra-(isopropyl)phosphite (40.5 mL, 0.123 M) were added with stirring, under a nitrogen atmosphere. The resulting mixture was stirred for 20 hours at room temperature (TLC showed the reaction to be 95% complete). The reaction mixture was extracted with saturated NaHCO₃ (1×300 mL) and saturated NaCl (3×300 mL). The aqueous washes were back-extracted with CH₂Cl₂ (300 mL), and the extracts were combined, dried over MgSO₄ and concentrated. The residue obtained was chromatographed on a 1.5 kg silica column using EtOAc/hexane (3:1) as the eluting solvent. The pure fractions were combined to give 90.6 g (87%) of the title compound.

2′-O-(Aminooxyethyl) Nucleoside Amidites and 2′-O-(dimethylaminooxyethyl) Nucleoside Amidites

2′-(Dimethylaminooxyethoxy) Nucleoside Amidites

2′-(Dimethylaminooxyethoxy) nucleoside amidites [also known in the art as 2′-O-(dimethylaminooxyethyl) nucleoside amidites] are prepared as described in the following paragraphs. Adenosine, cytidine and guanosine nucleoside amidites are prepared similarly to the thymidine (5-methyluridine) except the exocyclic amines are protected with a benzoyl moiety in the case of adenosine and cytidine and with isobutyryl in the case of guanosine.

5′-O-tert-Butyldiphenylsilyl-O-2′-anhydro-5-methyluridine

O²-2′-anhydro-5-methyluridine (Pro. Bio. Sint., Varese, Italy, 100.0 g, 0.416 mmol), dimethylaminopyridine (0.66 g, 0.013 eq, 0.0054 mmol) were dissolved in dry pyridine (500 ml) at ambient temperature under an argon atmosphere and with mechanical stirring. tert-Butyldiphenylchlorosilane (125.8 g, 119.0 mL, 1.1 eq, 0.458 mmol) was added in one portion. The reaction was stirred for 16 h at ambient temperature. TLC (Rf 0.22, ethyl acetate) indicated a complete reaction. The solution was concentrated under reduced pressure to a thick oil. This was partitioned between dichloromethane (1 L) and saturated sodium bicarbonate (2×1 L) and brine (1 L). The organic layer was dried over sodium sulfate and concentrated under reduced pressure to a thick oil. The oil was dissolved in a 1:1 mixture of ethyl acetate and ethyl ether (600 mL) and the solution was cooled to −10° C. The resulting crystalline product was collected by filtration, washed with ethyl ether (3×200 mL) and dried (40° C., 1 mm Hg, 24 h) to 149 g (74.8%) of white solid. TLC and NMR were consistent with pure product.

5′-O-tert-Butyldiphenylsilyl-2′-O-(2-hydroxyethyl)-5-methyluridine

In a 2 L stainless steel, unstirred pressure reactor was added borane in tetrahydrofuran (1.0 M, 2.0 eq, 622 mL). In the fume hood and with manual stirring, ethylene glycol (350 mL, excess) was added cautiously at first until the evolution of hydrogen gas subsided. 5′-O-tert-Butyldiphenylsilyl-O²-2′-anhydro-5-methyluridine (149 g, 0.311 mol) and sodium bicarbonate (0.074 g, 0.003 eq) were added with manual stirring. The reactor was sealed and heated in an oil bath until an internal temperature of 160° C. was reached and then maintained for 16 h (pressure <100 psig). The reaction vessel was cooled to ambient and opened. TLC (Rf 0.67 for desired product and Rf 0.82 for ara-T side product, ethyl acetate) indicated about 70% conversion to the product. In order to avoid additional side product formation, the reaction was stopped, concentrated under reduced pressure (10 to 1 mm Hg) in a warm water bath (40-100° C.) with the more extreme conditions used to remove the ethylene glycol. [Alternatively, once the low boiling solvent is gone, the remaining solution can be partitioned between ethyl acetate and water. The product will be in the organic phase.] The residue was purified by column chromatography (2 kg silica gel, ethyl acetate-hexanes gradient 1:1 to 4:1). The appropriate fractions were combined, stripped and dried to product as a white crisp foam (84 g, 50%), contaminated starting material (17.4 g) and pure reusable starting material 20 g. The yield based on starting material less pure recovered starting material was 58%. TLC and NMR were consistent with 99% pure product.

2′-O-([2-phthalimidoxy)ethyl]-5′-t-butyldiphenylsilyl-5-methyluridine

5′-O-tert-Butyldiphenylsilyl-2′-O-(2-hydroxyethyl)-5-methyluridine (20 g, 36.98 mmol) was mixed with triphenylphosphine (11.63 g, 44.36 mmol) and N-hydroxyphthalimide (7.24 g, 44.36 mmol). It was then dried over P₂O₅ under high vacuum for two days at 40° C. The reaction mixture was flushed with argon and dry THF (369.8 mL, Aldrich, sure seal bottle) was added to get a clear solution. Diethyl-azodicarboxylate (6.98 mL, 44.36 mmol) was added dropwise to the reaction mixture. The rate of addition is maintained such that resulting deep red coloration is just discharged before adding the next drop. After the addition was complete, the reaction was stirred for 4 hrs. By that time TLC showed the completion of the reaction (ethylacetate:hexane, 60:40). The solvent was evaporated in vacuum. Residue obtained was placed on a flash column and eluted with ethyl acetate:hexane (60:40), to get 2′-O-([2-phthalimidoxy)ethyl]-5′-t-butyldiphenylsilyl-5-methyluridine as white foam (21.819 g, 86%).

5′-O-tert-butyldiphenylsilyl-2′-O-[(2-formadoximinooxy)ethyl]-5-methyluridine

2′-O-([2-phthalimidoxy)ethyl]-5′-t-butyldiphenylsilyl-5-methyluridine (3.1 g, 4.5 mmol) was dissolved in dry CH₂Cl₂ (4.5 mL) and methylhydrazine (300 mL, 4.64 mmol) was added dropwise at −10° C. to 0° C. After 1 h the mixture was filtered, the filtrate was washed with ice cold CH₂Cl₂ and the combined organic phase was washed with water, brine and dried over anhydrous Na₂SO₄. The solution was concentrated to get 2′-O-(aminooxyethyl) thymidine, which was then dissolved in MeOH (67.5 mL). To this formaldehyde (20% aqueous solution, w/w, 1.1 eq.) was added and the resulting mixture was strirred for 1 h. Solvent was removed under vacuum; residue chromatographed to get 5′-O-tert-butyldiphenylsilyl-2′-O-[(2-formadoximinooxy) ethyl]-5-methyluridine as white foam (1.95 g, 78%).

5′-O-tert-Butyldiphenylsilyl-2′-O-[N,N-dimethylaminooxyethyl]-5-methyluridine

5′-O-tert-butyldiphenylsilyl-2′-O-[(2-formadoximinooxy)ethyl]-5-methyluridine (1.77 g, 3.12 mmol) was dissolved in a solution of 1M pyridinium p-toluenesulfonate (PPTS) in dry MeOH (30.6 mL). Sodium cyanoborohydride (0.39 g, 6.13 mmol) was added to this solution at 10° C. under inert atmosphere. The reaction mixture was stirred for 10 minutes at 10° C. After that the reaction vessel was removed from the ice bath and stirred at room temperature for 2 h, the reaction monitored by TLC (5% MeOH in CH₂Cl₂). Aqueous NaHCO₃ solution (5%, 10 mL) was added and extracted with ethyl acetate (2×20 mL). Ethyl acetate phase was dried over anhydrous Na₂SO₄, evaporated to dryness. Residue was dissolved in a solution of 1M PPTS in MeOH (30.6 mL). Formaldehyde (20% w/w, 30 mL, 3.37 mmol) was added and the reaction mixture was stirred at room temperature for 10 minutes. Reaction mixture cooled to 10° C. in an ice bath, sodium cyanoborohydride (0.39 g, 6.13 mmol) was added and reaction mixture stirred at 10° C. for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, the reaction mixture was removed from the ice bath and stirred at room temperature for 2 hrs. To the reaction mixture 5% NaHCO₃ (25 mL) solution was added and extracted with ethyl acetate (2×25 mL). Ethyl acetate layer was dried over anhydrous Na₂SO₄ and evaporated to dryness. The residue obtained was purified by flash column chromatography and eluted with 5% MeOH in CH₂Cl₂ to get 5′-O-tert-butyldiphenylsilyl-2′-O-[N,N-dimethylaminooxyethyl]-5-methyluridine as a white foam (14.6 g, 80%).

2′-O-(dimethylaminooxyethyl)-5-methyluridine

Triethylamine trihydrofluoride (3.91 mL, 24.0 mmol) was dissolved in dry THF and triethylamine (1.67 mL, 12 mmol, dry, kept over KOH). This mixture of triethylamine-2HF was then added to 5′-O-tert-butyldiphenylsilyl-2′-O-[N,N-dimethylaminooxyethyl]-5-methyluridine (1.40 g, 2.4 mmol) and stirred at room temperature for 24 hrs. Reaction was monitored by TLC (5% MeOH in CH₂Cl₂). Solvent was removed under vacuum and the residue placed on a flash column and eluted with 10% MeOH in CH₂Cl₂ to get 2′-O-(dimethylaminooxyethyl)-5-methyluridine (766 mg, 92.5%).

5′-O-DMT-2′-O-(dimethylaminooxyethyl)-5-methyluridine

2′-O-(dimethylaminooxyethyl)-5-methyluridine (750 mg, 2.17 mmol) was dried over P₂O₅ under high vacuum overnight at 40° C. It was then co-evaporated with anhydrous pyridine (20 mL). The residue obtained was dissolved in pyridine (11 mL) under argon atmosphere. 4-dimethylaminopyridine (26.5 mg, 2.60 mmol), 4,4′-dimethoxytrityl chloride (880 mg, 2.60 mmol) was added to the mixture and the reaction mixture was stirred at room temperature until all of the starting material disappeared. Pyridine was removed under vacuum and the residue chromatographed and eluted with 10% MeOH in CH₂Cl₂ (containing a few drops of pyridine) to get 5′-O-DMT-2′-O-(dimethylamino-oxyethyl)-5-methyluridine (1.13 g, 80%).

5′-O-DMT-2′-O-(2-N,N-dimethylaminooxyethyl)-5-methyluridine-3′-[(2-cyanoethyl)-N,N-diisopropylphosphoramidite]

5′-O-DMT-2′-O-(dimethylaminooxyethyl)-5-methyluridine (1.08 g, 1.67 mmol) was co-evaporated with toluene (20 mL). To the residue N,N-diisopropylamine tetrazonide (0.29 g, 1.67 mmol) was added and dried over P₂O₅ under high vacuum overnight at 40° C. Then the reaction mixture was dissolved in anhydrous acetonitrile (8.4 mL) and 2-cyanoethyl-N,N,N¹,N¹-tetraisopropylphosphoramidite (2.12 mL, 6.08 mmol) was added. The reaction mixture was stirred at ambient temperature for 4 hrs under inert atmosphere. The progress of the reaction was monitored by TLC (hexane:ethyl acetate 1:1). The solvent was evaporated, then the residue was dissolved in ethyl acetate (70 mL) and washed with 5% aqueous NaHCO₃ (40 mL). Ethyl acetate layer was dried over anhydrous Na₂SO₄ and concentrated. Residue obtained was chromatographed (ethyl acetate as eluent) to get 5′-O-DMT-2′-O-(2-N,N-dimethylaminooxyethyl)-5-methyluridine-3′-[(2-cyanoethyl)-N,N-diisopropylphosphoramidite] as a foam (1.04 g, 74.9%). 2′-(Aminooxyethoxy) nucleoside amidites 2′-(Aminooxyethoxy) nucleoside amidites [also known in the art as 2′-O-(aminooxyethyl) nucleoside amidites] are prepared as described in the following paragraphs. Adenosine, cytidine and thymidine nucleoside amidites are prepared similarly.

N2-isobutyryl-6-O-diphenylcarbamoyl-2′-O-(2-ethylacetyl)-5′-O-(4,4′-dimethoxytrityl)guanosine-3′-[(2-cyanoethyl)-N,N-diisopropylphosphoramidite]

The 2′-O-aminooxyethyl guanosine analog may be obtained by selective 2′-O-alkylation of diaminopurine riboside. Multigram quantities of diaminopurine riboside may be purchased from Schering AG (Berlin) to provide 2′-O-(2-ethylacetyl) diaminopurine riboside along with a minor amount of the 3′-O-isomer. 2′-O-(2-ethylacetyl) diaminopurine riboside may be resolved and converted to 2′-O-(2-ethylacetyl)guanosine by treatment with adenosine deaminase. (McGee, D. P. C., Cook, P. D., Guinosso, C. J., WO 94/02501 A1 940203.) Standard protection procedures should afford 2′-O-(2-ethylacetyl)-5′-O-(4,4′-dimethoxytrityl)guanosine and 2-N-isobutyryl-6-O-diphenylcarbamoyl-2′-O-(2-ethylacetyl)-5′-O-(4,4′-dimethoxytrityl)guanosine which may be reduced to provide 2-N-isobutyryl-6-O-diphenylcarbamoyl-2′-O-(2-hydroxyethyl)-5′-O-(4,4′-dimethoxytrityl)guanosine. As before the hydroxyl group may be displaced by N-hydroxyphthalimide via a Mitsunobu reaction, and the protected nucleoside may phosphitylated as usual to yield 2-N-isobutyryl-6-O-diphenylcarbamoyl-2′-O-([2-phthalmidoxy]ethyl)-5′-O-(4,4′-dimethoxytrityl)guanosine-3′-[(2-cyanoethyl)-N,N-diisopropylphosphoramidite].

2′-dimethylaminoethoxyethoxy (2′-DMAEOE) Nucleoside Amidites

2′-dimethylaminoethoxyethoxy nucleoside amidites (also known in the art as 2′-O-dimethylaminoethoxyethyl, i.e., 2′-O—CH₂—O—CH₂—N(CH₂)₂, or 2′-DMAEOE nucleoside amidites) are prepared as follows. Other nucleoside amidites are prepared similarly.

2′-O-[2(2-N,N-dimethylaminoethoxy)ethyl]-5-methyl Uridine

2[2-(Dimethylamino)ethoxy]ethanol (Aldrich, 6.66 g, 50 mmol) is slowly added to a solution of borane in tetrahydrofuran (1 M, 10 mL, 10 mmol) with stirring in a 100 mL bomb. Hydrogen gas evolves as the solid dissolves. O²-,2′-anhydro-5-methyluridine (1.2 g, 5 mmol), and sodium bicarbonate (2.5 mg) are added and the bomb is sealed, placed in an oil bath and heated to 155° C. for 26 hours. The bomb is cooled to room temperature and opened. The crude solution is concentrated and the residue partitioned between water (200 mL) and hexanes (200 mL). The excess phenol is extracted into the hexane layer. The aqueous layer is extracted with ethyl acetate (3×200 mL) and the combined organic layers are washed once with water, dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate and concentrated. The residue is columned on silica gel using methanol/methylene chloride 1:20 (which has 2% triethylamine) as the eluent. As the column fractions are concentrated a colorless solid forms which is collected to give the title compound as a white solid.

5′-O-dimethoxytrityl-2′-O-[2(2-N,N-dimethylaminoethoxy) ethyl)]-5-methyl Uridine

To 0.5 g (1.3 mmol) of 2′-O-[2(2-N,N-dimethylaminoethoxy)ethyl)]-5-methyl uridine in anhydrous pyridine (8 mL), triethylamine (0.36 mL) and dimethoxytrityl chloride (DMT-Cl, 0.87 g, 2 eq.) are added and stirred for 1 hour. The reaction mixture is poured into water (200 mL) and extracted with CH₂Cl₂ (2×200 mL). The combined CH₂Cl₂ layers are washed with saturated NaHCO₃ solution, followed by saturated NaCl solution and dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate. Evaporation of the solvent followed by silica gel chromatography using MeOH:CH₂Cl₂:Et₃N (20:1, v/v, with 1% triethylamine) gives the title compound.

5′-O-Dimethoxytrityl-2′-O-[2(2-N,N-dimethylaminoethoxy)-ethyl)]-5-methyl uridine-3′-O-(cyanoethyl-N,N-diisopropyl)phosphoramidite

Diisopropylaminotetrazolide (0.6 g) and 2-cyanoethoxy-N,N-diisopropyl phosphoramidite (1.1 mL, 2 eq.) are added to a solution of 5′-O-dimethoxytrityl-2′-O-[2(2-N,N-dimethylaminoethoxy)ethyl)]-5-methyluridine (2.17 g, 3 mmol) dissolved in CH₂Cl₂ (20 mL) under an atmosphere of argon. The reaction mixture is stirred overnight and the solvent evaporated. The resulting residue is purified by silica gel flash column chromatography with ethyl acetate as the eluent to give the title compound.

Example 2

Oligonucleotide Synthesis

Unsubstituted and substituted phosphodiester (P═O) oligonucleotides are synthesized on an automated DNA synthesizer (Applied Biosystems model 380B) using standard phosphoramidite chemistry with oxidation by iodine.

Phosphorothioates (P═S) are synthesized as for the phosphodiester oligonucleotides except the standard oxidation bottle was replaced by 0.2 M solution of 3H-1,2-benzodithiole-3-one 1,1-dioxide in acetonitrile for the stepwise thiation of the phosphite linkages. The thiation wait step was increased to 68 sec and was followed by the capping step. After cleavage from the CPG column and deblocking in concentrated ammonium hydroxide at 55° C. (18 h), the oligonucleotides were purified by precipitating twice with 2.5 volumes of ethanol from a 0.5 M NaCl solution.

Phosphinate oligonucleotides are prepared as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,508,270, herein incorporated by reference.

Alkyl phosphonate oligonucleotides are prepared as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,469,863, herein incorporated by reference.

3′-Deoxy-3′-methylene phosphonate oligonucleotides are prepared as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,610,289 or 5,625,050, herein incorporated by reference.

Phosphoramidite oligonucleotides are prepared as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,256,775 or U.S. Pat. No. 5,366,878, herein incorporated by reference.

Alkylphosphonothioate oligonucleotides are prepared as described in published PCT applications PCT/US94/00902 and PCT/US93/06976 (published as WO 94/17093 and WO 94/02499, respectively), herein incorporated by reference.

3′-Deoxy-3′-amino phosphoramidate oligonucleotides are prepared as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,476,925, herein incorporated by reference.

Phosphotriester oligonucleotides are prepared as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,023,243, herein incorporated by reference.

Borano phosphate oligonucleotides are prepared as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,130,302 and 5,177,198, both herein incorporated by reference.

Example 3

Oligonucleoside Synthesis

Methylenemethylimino linked oligonucleosides, also identified as MMI linked oligonucleosides, methylenedimethylhydrazo linked oligonucleosides, also identified as MDH linked oligonucleosides, and methylenecarbonylamino linked oligonucleosides, also identified as amide-3 linked oligonucleosides, and methyleneaminocarbonyl linked oligonucleosides, also identified as amide-4 linked oligonucleosides, as well as mixed backbone compounds having, for instance, alternating MMI and P═O or P═S linkages are prepared as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,378,825, 5,386,023, 5,489,677, 5,602,240 and 5,610,289, all of which are herein incorporated by reference.

Formacetal and thioformacetal linked oligonucleosides are prepared as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,264,562 and 5,264,564, herein incorporated by reference.

Ethylene oxide linked oligonucleosides are prepared as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,223,618, herein incorporated by reference.

Example 4

PNA Synthesis

Peptide nucleic acids (PNAs) are prepared in accordance with any of the various procedures referred to in Peptide Nucleic Acids (PNA): Synthesis, Properties and Potential Applications, Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry, 1996, 4, 5-23. They may also be prepared in accordance with U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,539,082, 5,700,922, and 5,719,262, herein incorporated by reference.

Example 5

Synthesis of Chimeric Oligonucleotides

Chimeric oligonucleotides, oligonucleosides or mixed oligonucleotides/oligonucleosides of the invention can be of several different types. These include a first type wherein the “gap” segment of linked nucleosides is positioned between 5′ and 3′ “wing” segments of linked nucleosides and a second “open end” type wherein the “gap” segment is located at either the 3′ or the 5′ terminus of the oligomeric compound. Oligonucleotides of the first type are also known in the art as “gapmers” or gapped oligonucleotides. Oligonucleotides of the second type are also known in the art as “hemimers” or “wingmers”.

[2′-O-Me]—[2′-deoxy]—[2′-O-Me] Chimeric Phosphorothioate Oligonucleotides

Chimeric oligonucleotides having 2′-O-alkyl phosphorothioate and 2′-deoxy phosphorothioate oligonucleotide segments are synthesized using an Applied Biosystems automated DNA synthesizer Model 380B, as above. Oligonucleotides are synthesized using the automated synthesizer and 2′-deoxy-5′-dimethoxytrityl-3′-O-phosphoramidite for the DNA portion and 5′-dimethoxytrityl-2′-O-methyl-3′-O-phosphoramidite for 5′ and 3′ wings. The standard synthesis cycle is modified by increasing the wait step after the delivery of tetrazole and base to 600 s repeated four times for RNA and twice for 2′-O-methyl. The fully protected oligonucleotide is cleaved from the support and the phosphate group is deprotected in 3:1 ammonia/ethanol at room temperature overnight then lyophilized to dryness. Treatment in methanolic ammonia for 24 hrs at room temperature is then done to deprotect all bases and sample was again lyophilized to dryness. The pellet is resuspended in 1M TBAF in THF for 24 hrs at room temperature to deprotect the 2′ positions. The reaction is then quenched with 1M TEAA and the sample is then reduced to ½ volume by rotovac before being desalted on a G25 size exclusion column. The oligo recovered is then analyzed spectrophotometrically for yield and for purity by capillary electrophoresis and by mass spectrometry.

[2′-O-(2-Methoxyethyl)]-[2′-deoxy]-[2′-O-(Methoxyethyl)] Chimeric Phosphorothioate Oligonucleotides

[2′-O-(2-methoxyethyl)]-[2′-deoxy]-[-2′-O-(methoxyethyl)] chimeric phosphorothioate oligonucleotides were prepared as per the procedure above for the 2′-O-methyl chimeric oligonucleotide, with the substitution of 2′-O-(methoxyethyl) amidites for the 2′-O-methyl amidites.

[2′-O-(2-Methoxyethyl)Phosphodiester]-[2′-deoxy Phosphorothioate]-[2′-O-(2-Methoxyethyl) Phosphodiester] Chimeric Oligonucleotides

[2′-O-(2-methoxyethyl phosphodiester]-[2′-deoxy phosphorothioate]-[2′-O-(methoxyethyl) phosphodiester] chimeric oligonucleotides are prepared as per the above procedure for the 2′-O-methyl chimeric oligonucleotide with the substitution of 2′-O-(methoxyethyl) amidites for the 2′-O-methyl amidites, oxidization with iodine to generate the phosphodiester internucleotide linkages within the wing portions of the chimeric structures and sulfurization utilizing 3,H-1,2 benzodithiole-3-one 1,1 dioxide (Beaucage Reagent) to generate the phosphorothioate internucleotide linkages for the center gap.

Other chimeric oligonucleotides, chimeric oligonucleosides and mixed chimeric oligonucleotides/oligonucleosides are synthesized according to U.S. Pat. No. 5,623,065, herein incorporated by reference.

Example 6

Oligonucleotide Isolation

After cleavage from the controlled pore glass column (Applied Biosystems) and deblocking in concentrated ammonium hydroxide at 55° C. for 18 hours, the oligonucleotides or oligonucleosides are purified by precipitation twice out of 0.5 M NaCl with 2.5 volumes ethanol. Synthesized oligonucleotides were analyzed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis on denaturing gels and judged to be at least 85% full length material. The relative amounts of phosphorothioate and phosphodiester linkages obtained in synthesis were periodically checked by ³¹P nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and for some studies oligonucleotides were purified by HPLC, as described by Chiang et al., J. Biol. Chem. 1991, 266, 18162-18171. Results obtained with HPLC-purified material were similar to those obtained with non-HPLC purified material.

Example 7

Oligonucleotide Synthesis—96 Well Plate Format

Oligonucleotides were synthesized via solid phase P(III) phosphoramidite chemistry on an automated synthesizer capable of assembling 96 sequences simultaneously in a standard 96 well format. Phosphodiester internucleotide linkages were afforded by oxidation with aqueous iodine. Phosphorothioate internucleotide linkages were generated by sulfurization utilizing 3,H-1,2 benzodithiole-3-one 1,1 dioxide (Beaucage Reagent) in anhydrous acetonitrile. Standard base-protected beta-cyanoethyldiisopropyl phosphoramidites were purchased from commercial vendors (e.g. PE-Applied Biosystems, Foster City, Calif., or Pharmacia, Piscataway, N.J.). Non-standard nucleosides are synthesized as per known literature or patented methods. They are utilized as base protected beta-cyanoethyldiisopropyl phosphoramidites.

Oligonucleotides were cleaved from support and deprotected with concentrated NH₄OH at elevated temperature (55-60° C.) for 12-16 hours and the released product then dried in vacuo. The dried product was then re-suspended in sterile water to afford a master plate from which all analytical and test plate samples are then diluted utilizing robotic pipettors.

Example 8

Oligonucleotide Analysis—96 Well Plate Format

The concentration of oligonucleotide in each well was assessed by dilution of samples and UV absorption spectroscopy. The full-length integrity of the individual products was evaluated by capillary electrophoresis (CE) in either the 96 well format (Beckman P/ACE™ MDQ) or, for individually prepared samples, on a commercial CE apparatus (e.g., Beckman P/ACE™ 5000, ABI 270). Base and backbone composition was confirmed by mass analysis of the compounds utilizing electrospray-mass spectroscopy. All assay test plates were diluted from the master plate using single and multi-channel robotic pipettors. Plates were judged to be acceptable if at least 85% of the compounds on the plate were at least 85% full length.

Example 9

Cell Culture and Oligonucleotide Treatment

The effect of antisense compounds on target nucleic acid expression can be tested in any of a variety of cell types provided that the target nucleic acid is present at measurable levels. This can be routinely determined using, for example, PCR or Northern blot analysis. The following 4 cell types are provided for illustrative purposes, but other cell types can be routinely used, provided that the target is expressed in the cell type chosen. This can be readily determined by methods routine in the art, for example Northern blot analysis, Ribonuclease protection assays, or RT-PCR.

T-24 Cells

The human transitional cell bladder carcinoma cell line T-24 was obtained from the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC) (Manassas, Va.). T-24 cells were routinely cultured in complete McCoy's 5A basal media (Gibco/Life Technologies, Gaithersburg, Md.) supplemented with 10% fetal calf serum (Gibco/Life Technologies, Gaithersburg, Md.), penicillin 100 units per mL, and streptomycin 100 micrograms per mL (Gibco/Life Technologies, Gaithersburg, Md.). Cells were routinely passaged by trypsinization and dilution when they reached 90% confluence. Cells were seeded into 96-well plates (Falcon-Primaria #3872) at a density of 7000 cells/well for use in RT-PCR analysis.

For Northern blotting or other analysis, cells may be seeded onto 100 mm or other standard tissue culture plates and treated similarly, using appropriate volumes of medium and oligonucleotide.

A549 Cells

The human lung carcinoma cell line A549 was obtained from the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC) (Manassas, Va.). A549 cells were routinely cultured in DMEM basal media (Gibco/Life Technologies, Gaithersburg, Md.) supplemented with 10% fetal calf serum (Gibco/Life Technologies, Gaithersburg, Md.), penicillin 100 units per mL, and streptomycin 100 micrograms per mL (Gibco/Life Technologies, Gaithersburg, Md.). Cells were routinely passaged by trypsinization and dilution when they reached 90% confluence.

NHDF Cells

Human neonatal dermal fibroblast (NHDF) were obtained from the Clonetics Corporation (Walkersville Md.). NHDFs were routinely maintained in Fibroblast Growth Medium (Clonetics Corporation, Walkersville Md.) supplemented as recommended by the supplier. Cells were maintained for up to 10 passages as recommended by the supplier.

HEK Cells

Human embryonic keratinocytes (HEK) were obtained from the Clonetics Corporation (Walkersville Md.). HEKs were routinely maintained in Keratinocyte Growth Medium (Clonetics Corporation, Walkersville Md.) formulated as recommended by the supplier. Cells were routinely maintained for up to 10 passages as recommended by the supplier.

Treatment with Antisense Compounds

When cells reached 80% confluency, they were treated with oligonucleotide. For cells grown in 96-well plates, wells were washed once with 200 μL OPTI-MEM™-1 reduced-serum medium (Gibco BRL) and then treated with 130 μL of OPTI-MEM™-1 containing 3.75 μg/mL LIPOFECTIN™ (Gibco BRL) and the desired concentration of oligonucleotide. After 4-7 hours of treatment, the medium was replaced with fresh medium. Cells were harvested 16-24 hours after oligonucleotide treatment.

The concentration of oligonucleotide used varies from cell line to cell line. To determine the optimal oligonucleotide concentration for a particular cell line, the cells are treated with a positive control oligonucleotide at a range of concentrations. For human cells the positive control oligonucleotide is ISIS 13920, TCCGTCATCGCTCCTCAGGG, SEQ ID NO: 1, a 2′-O-methoxyethyl gapmer (2′-O-methoxyethyls shown in bold) with a phosphorothioate backbone which is targeted to human H-ras. For mouse or rat cells the positive control oligonucleotide is ISIS 15770, ATGCATTCTGCCCCCAAGGA, SEQ ID NO: 2, a 2′-O-methoxyethyl gapmer (2′-O-methoxyethyls shown in bold) with a phosphorothioate backbone which is targeted to both mouse and rat c-raf. The concentration of positive control oligonucleotide that results in 80% inhibition of c-Ha-ras (for ISIS 13920) or c-raf (for ISIS 15770) mRNA is then utilized as the screening concentration for new oligonucleotides in subsequent experiments for that cell line. If 80% inhibition is not achieved, the lowest concentration of positive control oligonucleotide that results in 60% inhibition of H-ras or c-raf mRNA is then utilized as the oligonucleotide screening concentration in subsequent experiments for that cell line. If 60% inhibition is not achieved, that particular cell line is deemed as unsuitable for oligonucleotide transfection experiments.

Example 10

Analysis of Oligonucleotide Inhibition of Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Protein 5 Expression

Antisense modulation of insulin-like growth factor binding protein 5 expression can be assayed in a variety of ways known in the art. For example, insulin-like growth factor binding protein 5 mRNA levels can be quantitated by, e.g., Northern blot analysis, competitive polymerase chain reaction (PCR), or real-time PCR (RT-PCR). Real-time quantitative PCR is presently preferred. RNA analysis can be performed on total cellular RNA or poly(A)+ mRNA. Methods of RNA isolation are taught in, for example, Ausubel, F. M. et al., Current Protocols in Molecular Biology, Volume 1, pp. 4.1.1-4.2.9 and 4.5.1-4.5.3, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1993. Northern blot analysis is routine in the art and is taught in, for example, Ausubel, F. M. et al., Current Protocols in Molecular Biology, Volume 1, pp. 4.2.1-4.2.9, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1996. Real-time quantitative (PCR) can be conveniently accomplished using the commercially available ABI PRISM™ 7700 Sequence Detection System, available from PE-Applied Biosystems, Foster City, Calif. and used according to manufacturer's instructions.

Protein levels of insulin-like growth factor binding protein 5 can be quantitated in a variety of ways well known in the art, such as immunoprecipitation, Western blot analysis (immunoblotting), ELISA or fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS). Antibodies directed to insulin-like growth factor binding protein 5 can be identified and obtained from a variety of sources, such as the MSRS catalog of antibodies (Aerie Corporation, Birmingham, Mich.), or can be prepared via conventional antibody generation methods. Methods for preparation of polyclonal antisera are taught in, for example, Ausubel, F. M. et al., Current Protocols in Molecular Biology, Volume 2, pp. 11.12.1-11.12.9, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1997. Preparation of monoclonal antibodies is taught in, for example, Ausubel, F. M. et al., Current Protocols in Molecular Biology, Volume 2, pp. 11.4.1-11.11.5, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1997.

Immunoprecipitation methods are standard in the art and can be found at, for example, Ausubel, F. M. et al., Current Protocols in Molecular Biology, Volume 2, pp. 10.16.1-10.16.11, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1998. Western blot (immunoblot) analysis is standard in the art and can be found at, for example, Ausubel, F. M. et al., Current Protocols in Molecular Biology, Volume 2, pp. 10.8.1-10.8.21, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1997. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) are standard in the art and can be found at, for example, Ausubel, F. M. et al., Current Protocols in Molecular Biology, Volume 2, pp. 11.2.1-11.2.22, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1991.

Example 11

Poly(A)+ mRNA Isolation

Poly(A)+ mRNA was isolated according to Miura et al., Clin. Chem., 1996, 42, 1758-1764. Other methods for poly(A)+ mRNA isolation are taught in, for example, Ausubel, F. M. et al., Current Protocols in Molecular Biology, Volume 1, pp. 4.5.1-4.5.3, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1993. Briefly, for cells grown on 96-well plates, growth medium was removed from the cells and each well was washed with 200 μL cold PBS. 60 μL lysis buffer (10 mM Tris-HCl, pH 7.6, 1 mM EDTA, 0.5 M NaCl, 0.5% NP-40, 20 mM vanadyl-ribonucleoside complex) was added to each well, the plate was gently agitated and then incubated at room temperature for five minutes. 55 μL of lysate was transferred to Oligo d(T) coated 96-well plates (AGCT Inc., Irvine Calif.). Plates were incubated for 60 minutes at room temperature, washed 3 times with 200 μL of wash buffer (10 mM Tris-HCl pH 7.6, 1 mM EDTA, 0.3 M NaCl). After the final wash, the plate was blotted on paper towels to remove excess wash buffer and then air-dried for 5 minutes. 60 μL of elution buffer (5 mM Tris-HCl pH 7.6), preheated to 70° C. was added to each well, the plate was incubated on a 90° C. hot plate for 5 minutes, and the eluate was then transferred to a fresh 96-well plate.

Cells grown on 100 mm or other standard plates may be treated similarly, using appropriate volumes of all solutions.

Example 12

Total RNA Isolation

Total RNA was isolated using an RNEASY 96™ kit and buffers purchased from Qiagen Inc. (Valencia Calif.) following the manufacturer's recommended procedures. Briefly, for cells grown on 96-well plates, growth medium was removed from the cells and each well was washed with 200 μL cold PBS. 100 μL Buffer RLT was added to each well and the plate vigorously agitated for 20 seconds. 100 μL of 70% ethanol was then added to each well and the contents mixed by pipetting three times up and down. The samples were then transferred to the RNEASY 96™ well plate attached to a QIAVAC™ manifold fitted with a waste collection tray and attached to a vacuum source. Vacuum was applied for 15 seconds. 1 mL of Buffer RW1 was added to each well of the RNEASY 96™ plate and the vacuum again applied for 15 seconds. 1 mL of Buffer RPE was then added to each well of the RNEASY 96™ plate and the vacuum applied for a period of 15 seconds. The Buffer RPE wash was then repeated and the vacuum was applied for an additional 10 minutes. The plate was then removed from the QIAVAC™ manifold and blotted dry on paper towels. The plate was then re-attached to the QIAVAC™ manifold fitted with a collection tube rack containing 1.2 mL collection tubes. RNA was then eluted by pipetting 60 μL water into each well, incubating 1 minute, and then applying the vacuum for 30 seconds. The elution step was repeated with an additional 60 μL water.

The repetitive pipetting and elution steps may be automated using a QIAGEN Bio-Robot 9604 (Qiagen, Inc., Valencia Calif.). Essentially, after lysing of the cells on the culture plate, the plate is transferred to the robot deck where the pipetting, DNase treatment and elution steps are carried out.

Example 13

Real-Time Quantitative PCR Analysis of Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Protein 5 mRNA Levels

Quantitation of insulin-like growth factor binding protein 5 mRNA levels was determined by real-time quantitative PCR using the ABI PRISM™ 7700 Sequence Detection System (PE-Applied Biosystems, Foster City, Calif.) according to manufacturer's instructions. This is a closed-tube, non-gel-based, fluorescence detection system which allows high-throughput quantitation of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) products in real-time. As opposed to standard PCR, in which amplification products are quantitated after the PCR is completed, products in real-time quantitative PCR are quantitated as they accumulate. This is accomplished by including in the PCR reaction an oligonucleotide probe that anneals specifically between the forward and reverse PCR primers, and contains two fluorescent dyes. A reporter dye (e.g., JOE, FAM, or VIC, obtained from either Operon Technologies Inc., Alameda, Calif. or PE-Applied Biosystems, Foster City, Calif.) is attached to the 5′ end of the probe and a quencher dye (e.g., TAMRA, obtained from either Operon Technologies Inc., Alameda, Calif. or PE-Applied Biosystems, Foster City, Calif.) is attached to the 3′ end of the probe. When the probe and dyes are intact, reporter dye emission is quenched by the proximity of the 3′ quencher dye. During amplification, annealing of the probe to the target sequence creates a substrate that can be cleaved by the 5′-exonuclease activity of Taq polymerase. During the extension phase of the PCR amplification cycle, cleavage of the probe by Taq polymerase releases the reporter dye from the remainder of the probe (and hence from the quencher moiety) and a sequence-specific fluorescent signal is generated. With each cycle, additional reporter dye molecules are cleaved from their respective probes, and the fluorescence intensity is monitored at regular intervals by laser optics built into the ABI PRISM™ 7700 Sequence Detection System. In each assay, a series of parallel reactions containing serial dilutions of mRNA from untreated control samples generates a standard curve that is used to quantitate the percent inhibition after antisense oligonucleotide treatment of test samples.

Prior to quantitative PCR analysis, primer-probe sets specific to the target gene being measured are evaluated for their ability to be “multiplexed” with a GAPDH amplification reaction. In multiplexing, both the target gene and the internal standard gene GAPDH are amplified concurrently in a single sample. In this analysis, mRNA isolated from untreated cells is serially diluted. Each dilution is amplified in the presence of primer-probe sets specific for GAPDH only, target gene only (“single-plexing”), or both (multiplexing). Following PCR amplification, standard curves of GAPDH and target mRNA signal as a function of dilution are generated from both the single-plexed and multiplexed samples. If both the slope and correlation coefficient of the GAPDH and target signals generated from the multiplexed samples fall within 10% of their corresponding values generated from the single-plexed samples, the primer-probe set specific for that target is deemed multiplexable. Other methods of PCR are also known in the art.

PCR reagents were obtained from PE-Applied Biosystems, Foster City, Calif. RT-PCR reactions were carried out by adding 25 μL PCR cocktail (1×TAQMAN™ buffer A, 5.5 mM MgCl₂, 300 μM each of dATP, dCTP and dGTP, 600 μM of dUTP, 100 nM each of forward primer, reverse primer, and probe, 20 Units RNAse inhibitor, 1.25 Units AMPLITAQ GOLD™, and 12.5 Units MuLV reverse transcriptase) to 96 well plates containing 25 μL total RNA solution. The RT reaction was carried out by incubation for 30 minutes at 48° C. Following a 10 minute incubation at 95° C. to activate the AMPLITAQ GOLD™, 40 cycles of a two-step PCR protocol were carried out: 95° C. for 15 seconds (denaturation) followed by 60° C. for 1.5 minutes (annealing/extension).

Gene target quantities obtained by real time RT-PCR are normalized using either the expression level of GAPDH, a gene whose expression is constant, or by quantifying total RNA using RiboGreen™ (Molecular Probes, Inc. Eugene, Oreg.). GAPDH expression is quantified by real time RT-PCR, by being run simultaneously with the target, multiplexing, or separately. Total RNA is quantified using RiboGreen™ RNA quantification reagent from Molecular Probes. Methods of RNA quantification by RiboGreen™ are taught in Jones, L. J., et al, Analytical Biochemistry, 1998, 265, 368-374.

In this assay, 175 μL of RiboGreen™ working reagent (RiboGreen™ reagent diluted 1:2865 in 10 mM Tris-HCl, 1 mM EDTA, pH 7.5) is pipetted into a 96-well plate containing 25 uL purified, cellular RNA. The plate is read in a CytoFluor 4000 (PE Applied Biosystems) with excitation at 480 nm and emission at 520 nm.

Probes and primers to human insulin-like growth factor binding protein 5 were designed to hybridize to a human insulin-like growth factor binding protein 5 sequence, using published sequence information (GenBank accession number M65062, incorporated herein as SEQ ID NO:3). For human insulin-like growth factor binding protein 5 the PCR primers were:

forward primer: CCAAACACACCCGCATCTC (SEQ ID NO: 4)

reverse primer: TTGGACTGGGTCAGCTTCTTTC (SEQ ID NO: 5) and the PCR probe was: FAM-AGGCTGAAGCAGTGAAGAAGGACCGC-TAMRA (SEQ ID NO: 6) where FAM (PE-Applied Biosystems, Foster City, Calif.) is the fluorescent reporter dye) and TAMRA (PE-Applied Biosystems, Foster City, Calif.) is the quencher dye. For human GAPDH the PCR primers were:

forward primer: GAAGGTGAAGGTCGGAGTC (SEQ ID NO: 7)

reverse primer: GAAGATGGTGATGGGATTTC (SEQ ID NO: 8) and the PCR probe was: 5′ JOE-CAAGCTTCCCGTTCTCAGCC-TAMRA 3′ (SEQ ID NO: 9) where JOE (PE-Applied Biosystems, Foster City, Calif.) is the fluorescent reporter dye) and TAMRA (PE-Applied Biosystems, Foster City, Calif.) is the quencher dye.

Example 14

Northern Blot Analysis of Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Protein 5 mRNA Levels

Eighteen hours after antisense treatment, cell monolayers were washed twice with cold PBS and lysed in 1 mL RNAZOL™ (TEL-TEST “B” Inc., Friendswood, Tex.). Total RNA was prepared following manufacturer's recommended protocols. Twenty micrograms of total RNA was fractionated by electrophoresis through 1.2% agarose gels containing 1.1% formaldehyde using a MOPS buffer system (AMRESCO, Inc. Solon, Ohio). RNA was transferred from the gel to HYBOND™-N+ nylon membranes (Amersham Pharmacia Biotech, Piscataway, N.J.) by overnight capillary transfer using a Northern/Southern Transfer buffer system (TEL-TEST “B” Inc., Friendswood, Tex.). RNA transfer was confirmed by UV visualization. Membranes were fixed by UV cross-linking using a STRATALINKER™ UV Crosslinker 2400 (Stratagene, Inc, La Jolla, Calif.) and then probed using QUICKHYB™ hybridization solution (Stratagene, La Jolla, Calif.) using manufacturer's recommendations for stringent conditions.

To detect human insulin-like growth factor binding protein 5, a human insulin-like growth factor binding protein 5 specific probe was prepared by PCR using the forward primer CCAAACACACCCGCATCTC (SEQ ID NO: 4) and the reverse primer TTGGACTGGGTCAGCTTCTTTC (SEQ ID NO: 5). To normalize for variations in loading and transfer efficiency membranes were stripped and probed for human glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) RNA (Clontech, Palo Alto, Calif.).

Hybridized membranes were visualized and quantitated using a PHOSPHORIMAGER™ and IMAGEQUANT™ Software V3.3 (Molecular Dynamics, Sunnyvale, Calif.). Data was normalized to GAPDH levels in untreated controls.

Example 15

Antisense Inhibition of Human Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Protein 5 Expression by Chimeric Phosphorothioate Oligonucleotides Having 2′-MOE Wings and a Deoxy Gap

In accordance with the present invention, a series of oligonucleotides were designed to target different regions of the human insulin-like growth factor binding protein 5 RNA, using published sequences (GenBank accession number M65062, incorporated herein as SEQ ID NO: 3, GenBank accession number NM_(—)000599, incorporated herein as SEQ ID NO: 10, residues 135001-156000 of Genbank accession number AC007563, incorporated herein as SEQ ID NO: 11, and GenBank accession number AF147308, incorporated herein as SEQ ID NO: 12). The oligonucleotides are shown in Table 1. “Target site” indicates the first (5′-most) nucleotide number on the particular target sequence to which the oligonucleotide binds. All compounds in Table 1 are chimeric oligonucleotides (“gapmers”) 20 nucleotides in length, composed of a central “gap” region consisting of ten 2′-deoxynucleotides, which is flanked on both sides (5′ and 3′ directions) by five-nucleotide “wings”. The wings are composed of 2′-methoxyethyl (2′-MOE)nucleotides. The internucleoside (backbone) linkages are phosphorothioate (P═S) throughout the oligonucleotide. All cytidine residues are 5-methylcytidines. The compounds were analyzed for their effect on human insulin-like growth factor binding protein 5 mRNA levels by quantitative real-time PCR as described in other examples herein. Data are averages from two experiments. If present, “N.D.” indicates “no data”.

TABLE 1 Inhibition of human insulin-like growth factor binding protein 5 mRNA levels by chimeric phosphorothioate oligonucleotides have 2′-MOE wings and a deoxy gap TARGET ISIS # REGION SEQ ID NO TARGET SITE SEQUENCE % INHIB SEQ ID NO 154897 Start 3 36 gagcaacaccatcttctctt 87 13 Codon 154898 Coding 3 65 taggcggccagcagcaggag 72 14 154899 Coding 3 299 gcgtgcagcggcttctcctc 69 15 154900 Coding 3 306 cagcagggcgtgcagcggct 78 16 154901 Coding 3 333 ttcgttgaggcaaaccccgc 50 17 154902 Coding 3 338 ctcttttcgttgaggcaaac 67 18 154903 Coding 3 342 gtagctcttttcgttgaggc 87 19 154904 Coding 3 497 tttctgcggtccttcttcac 12 20 154905 Coding 3 503 agcttctttctgcggtcctt 90 21 154906 Coding 3 511 actgggtcagcttctttctg 43 22 154907 Coding 3 518 aacttggactgggtcagctt 79 23 154908 Coding 3 580 cctgtctcatctcaggtgca 62 24 154909 Coding 3 651 catgcgtgggctggctttga 78 25 154910 Coding 3 656 ggcaccatgcgtgggctggc 76 26 154911 Coding 3 676 tgggcaggtacacagcacgg 82 27 154912 Coding 3 698 tagaatcctttgcggtcaca 72 28 154913 Coding 3 703 tcttgtagaatcctttgcgg 56 29 154914 Coding 3 709 gctttctcttgtagaatcct 57 30 154915 3′ UTR 3 986 gtcctcagtttcctcaaata 74 31 154916 3′ UTR 3 991 ccgaggtcctcagtttcctc 89 32 154917 3′ UTR 3 996 agattccgaggtcctcagtt 87 33 154918 3′ UTR 3 1001 gctagagattccgaggtcct 89 34 154919 3′ UTR 3 1006 cccttgctagagattccgag 94 35 154920 3′ UTR 3 1186 cctaactctattcgtctttc 61 36 154921 3′ UTR 3 1394 ggagaggtcctggagtgttt 0 37 154922 3′ UTR 3 1579 gatctgcttccgaaaacctc 86 38 154923 5′ UTR 10 11 ctttgcagctctttcctagc 80 39 154924 5′ UTR 10 584 cttgcaaaaatgtagagaga 73 40 154925 Intron 1 11 4214 gctttggctgcctgccacct 79 41 154926 Intron 1: 11 16817 ctgcaggagaaggagccgga 72 42 Exon 2 154927 3′ UTR 12 197 actgtagtcaccgtggaaga 88 43

As shown in Table 1, SEQ ID NOs 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 21, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42 and 43 demonstrated at least 50% inhibition of human insulin-like growth factor binding protein 5 expression in this assay and are therefore preferred. The target sites to which these preferred sequences are complementary are herein referred to as “active sites” and are therefore preferred sites for targeting by compounds of the present invention.

Example 16

Western Blot Analysis of Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Protein 5 Protein Levels

Western blot analysis (immunoblot analysis) is carried out using standard methods. Cells are harvested 16-20 h after oligonucleotide treatment, washed once with PBS, suspended in Laemmli buffer (100 ul/well), boiled for 5 minutes and loaded on a 16% SDS-PAGE gel. Gels are run for 1.5 hours at 150 V, and transferred to membrane for western blotting. Appropriate primary antibody directed to insulin-like growth factor binding protein 5 is used, with a radiolabelled or fluorescently labeled secondary antibody directed against the primary antibody species. Bands are visualized using a PHOSPHORIMAGER™ (Molecular Dynamics, Sunnyvale Calif.).

                   #             SEQUENCE LISTING <160> NUMBER OF SEQ ID NOS: 43 <210> SEQ ID NO 1 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 1 tccgtcatcg ctcctcaggg             #                   #                   # 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 2 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 2 atgcattctg cccccaagga             #                   #                   # 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 3 <211> LENGTH: 1612 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Homo sapiens <220> FEATURE: <221> NAME/KEY: CDS <222> LOCATION: (44)...(862) <400> SEQUENCE: 3 ctctcctgcc ccaccccgag gtaaaggggg cgactaagag aag atg gt #g ttg ctc       55                    #                   #            Met Val Leu Le #u                    #                   #              1 acc gcg gtc ctc ctg ctg ctg gcc gcc tat gc #g ggg ccg gcc cag agc      103 Thr Ala Val Leu Leu Leu Leu Ala Ala Tyr Al #a Gly Pro Ala Gln Ser   5                 #  10                 #  15                 #  20 ctg ggc tcc ttc gtg cac tgc gag ccc tgc ga #c gag aaa gcc ctc tcc      151 Leu Gly Ser Phe Val His Cys Glu Pro Cys As #p Glu Lys Ala Leu Ser                  25  #                 30  #                 35 atg tgc ccc ccc agc ccc ctg ggc tgc gag ct #g gtc aag gag ccg ggc      199 Met Cys Pro Pro Ser Pro Leu Gly Cys Glu Le #u Val Lys Glu Pro Gly              40      #             45      #             50 tgc ggc tgc tgc atg acc tgc gcc ctg gcc ga #g ggg cag tcg tgc ggc      247 Cys Gly Cys Cys Met Thr Cys Ala Leu Ala Gl #u Gly Gln Ser Cys Gly          55          #         60          #         65 gtc tac acc gag cgc tgc gcc cag ggg ctg cg #c tgc ctc ccc cgg cag      295 Val Tyr Thr Glu Arg Cys Ala Gln Gly Leu Ar #g Cys Leu Pro Arg Gln      70              #     75              #     80 gac gag gag aag ccg ctg cac gcc ctg ctg ca #c ggc cgc ggg gtt tgc      343 Asp Glu Glu Lys Pro Leu His Ala Leu Leu Hi #s Gly Arg Gly Val Cys  85                  # 90                  # 95                  #100 ctc aac gaa aag agc tac cgc gag caa gtc aa #g atc gag aga gac tcc      391 Leu Asn Glu Lys Ser Tyr Arg Glu Gln Val Ly #s Ile Glu Arg Asp Ser                 105   #               110   #               115 cgt gag cac gag gag ccc acc acc tct gag at #g gcc gag gag acc tac      439 Arg Glu His Glu Glu Pro Thr Thr Ser Glu Me #t Ala Glu Glu Thr Tyr             120       #           125       #           130 tcc ccc aag atc ttc cgg ccc aaa cac acc cg #c atc tcc gag ctg aag      487 Ser Pro Lys Ile Phe Arg Pro Lys His Thr Ar #g Ile Ser Glu Leu Lys         135           #       140           #       145 gct gaa gca gtg aag aag gac cgc aga aag aa #g ctg acc cag tcc aag      535 Ala Glu Ala Val Lys Lys Asp Arg Arg Lys Ly #s Leu Thr Gln Ser Lys     150               #   155               #   160 ttt gtc ggg gga gcc gag aac act gcc cac cc #c cgg atc atc tct gca      583 Phe Val Gly Gly Ala Glu Asn Thr Ala His Pr #o Arg Ile Ile Ser Ala 165                 1 #70                 1 #75                 1 #80 cct gag atg aga cag gag tct gag cag ggc cc #c tgc cgc aga cac atg      631 Pro Glu Met Arg Gln Glu Ser Glu Gln Gly Pr #o Cys Arg Arg His Met                 185   #               190   #               195 gag gct tcc ctg cag gag ctc aaa gcc agc cc #a cgc atg gtg ccc cgt      679 Glu Ala Ser Leu Gln Glu Leu Lys Ala Ser Pr #o Arg Met Val Pro Arg             200       #           205       #           210 gct gtg tac ctg ccc aat tgt gac cgc aaa gg #a ttc tac aag aga aag      727 Ala Val Tyr Leu Pro Asn Cys Asp Arg Lys Gl #y Phe Tyr Lys Arg Lys         215           #       220           #       225 cag tgc aaa cct tcc cgt ggc cgc aag cgt gg #c atc tgc tgg tgc gtg      775 Gln Cys Lys Pro Ser Arg Gly Arg Lys Arg Gl #y Ile Cys Trp Cys Val     230               #   235               #   240 gac aag tac ggg atg aag ctg cca ggc atg ga #g tac gtt gac ggg gac      823 Asp Lys Tyr Gly Met Lys Leu Pro Gly Met Gl #u Tyr Val Asp Gly Asp 245                 2 #50                 2 #55                 2 #60 ttt cag tgc cac acc ttc gac agc agc aac gt #t gag tga tgcgtccccc       872 Phe Gln Cys His Thr Phe Asp Ser Ser Asn Va #l Glu                 265   #               270 cccaaccttt ccctcacccc ctcccacccc cagccccgac tccagccagc gc #ctccctcc    932 accccaggac gccactcatt tcatctcatt taagggaaaa atatatatct at #ctatttga    992 ggaaactgag gacctcggaa tctctagcaa gggctcaact tcgaaaatgg ca #acaacaga   1052 gatgcaaaaa gctaaaaaga cacccccccc ctttaaatgg ttttcttttt ga #ggcaagtt   1112 ggatgaacag agaagggaag agaggaagaa cgagaggaag agaagggaag ga #agtgtttg   1172 tgtagaagag agagaaagac gaatagagtt aggaaaagga agacaagcag gt #gggcagga   1232 aggacatgca ccgagaccag gcaggggccc aactttcacg tccagccctg gc #ctggggtc   1292 gggagaggtg ggcgctagaa gatgcagccc aggatgtggc aatcaatgac ac #tattgggg   1352 tttcccagga tggattggtc agggggagaa aggaaaaggc aaaacactcc ag #gacctctc   1412 ccggatctgt ctcctcctct agccagcagt atggacagct ggacccctga ac #ttcctctc   1472 ctcttacctg ggcagagtgt tgtctctccc caaatttata aaaactaaaa tg #cattccat   1532 tcctctgaaa gcaaaacaaa ttcataattg agtgatatta aatagagagg tt #ttcggaag   1592 cagatctgtg aatatgaaat             #                   #                 161 #2 <210> SEQ ID NO 4 <211> LENGTH: 19 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: PCR Primer <400> SEQUENCE: 4 ccaaacacac ccgcatctc              #                   #                   # 19 <210> SEQ ID NO 5 <211> LENGTH: 22 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: PCR Primer <400> SEQUENCE: 5 ttggactggg tcagcttctt tc            #                   #                 22 <210> SEQ ID NO 6 <211> LENGTH: 26 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: PCR Probe <400> SEQUENCE: 6 aggctgaagc agtgaagaag gaccgc           #                   #              26 <210> SEQ ID NO 7 <211> LENGTH: 19 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: PCR Primer <400> SEQUENCE: 7 gaaggtgaag gtcggagtc              #                   #                   # 19 <210> SEQ ID NO 8 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: PCR Primer <400> SEQUENCE: 8 gaagatggtg atgggatttc             #                   #                   # 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 9 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: PCR Probe <400> SEQUENCE: 9 caagcttccc gttctcagcc             #                   #                   # 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 10 <211> LENGTH: 1722 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Homo sapiens <220> FEATURE: <221> NAME/KEY: CDS <222> LOCATION: (752)...(1570) <400> SEQUENCE: 10 ggggaaaaga gctaggaaag agctgcaaag cagtgtgggc tttttccctt tt #tttgctcc     60 ttttcattac ccctcctccg ttttcaccct tctccggact tcgcgtagaa cc #tgcgaatt    120 tcgaagagga ggtggcaaag tgggagaaaa gaggtgttag ggtttggggt tt #ttttgttt    180 ttgtttttgt tttttaattt cttgatttca acattttctc ccaccctctc gg #ctgcagcc    240 aacgcctctt acctgttctg cggcgccgcg caccgctggc agctgagggt ta #gaaagcgg    300 ggtgtatttt agattttaag caaaaatttt aaagataaat ccatttttct ct #cccacccc    360 caacgccatc tccactgcat ccgatctcat tatttcggtg gttgcttggg gg #tgaacaat    420 tttgtggctt tttttcccct ataattctga cccgctcagg cttgagggtt tc #tccggcct    480 ccgctcactg cgtgcacctg gcgctgccct gcttccccca acctgttgca ag #gctttaat    540 tcttgcaact gggacctgct cgcaggcacc ccagccctcc acctctctct ac #atttttgc    600 aagtgtctgg gggagggcac ctgctctacc tgccagaaat tttaaaacaa aa #acaaaaac    660 aaaaaaatct ccgggggccc tcttggcccc tttatccctg cactctcgct ct #cctgcccc    720 accccgaggt aaagggggcg actaagagaa g atg gtg ttg ctc  #acc gcg gtc       772                    #                 Met # Val Leu Leu Thr Ala Val                    #                   # 1               5 ctc ctg ctg ctg gcc gcc tat gcg ggg ccg gc #c cag agc ctg ggc tcc      820 Leu Leu Leu Leu Ala Ala Tyr Ala Gly Pro Al #a Gln Ser Leu Gly Ser          10          #         15          #         20 ttc gtg cac tgc gag ccc tgc gac gag aaa gc #c ctc tcc atg tgc ccc      868 Phe Val His Cys Glu Pro Cys Asp Glu Lys Al #a Leu Ser Met Cys Pro      25              #     30              #     35 ccc agc ccc ctg ggc tgc gag ctg gtc aag ga #g ccg ggc tgc ggc tgc      916 Pro Ser Pro Leu Gly Cys Glu Leu Val Lys Gl #u Pro Gly Cys Gly Cys  40                  # 45                  # 50                  # 55 tgc atg acc tgc gcc ctg gcc gag ggg cag tc #g tgc ggc gtc tac acc      964 Cys Met Thr Cys Ala Leu Ala Glu Gly Gln Se #r Cys Gly Val Tyr Thr                  60  #                 65  #                 70 gag cgc tgc gcc cag ggg ctg cgc tgc ctc cc #c cgg cag gac gag gag     1012 Glu Arg Cys Ala Gln Gly Leu Arg Cys Leu Pr #o Arg Gln Asp Glu Glu              75      #             80      #             85 aag ccg ctg cac gcc ctg ctg cac ggc cgc gg #g gtt tgc ctc aac gaa     1060 Lys Pro Leu His Ala Leu Leu His Gly Arg Gl #y Val Cys Leu Asn Glu          90          #         95          #        100 aag agc tac cgc gag caa gtc aag atc gag ag #a gac tcc cgt gag cac     1108 Lys Ser Tyr Arg Glu Gln Val Lys Ile Glu Ar #g Asp Ser Arg Glu His     105               #   110               #   115 gag gag ccc acc acc tct gag atg gcc gag ga #g acc tac tcc ccc aag     1156 Glu Glu Pro Thr Thr Ser Glu Met Ala Glu Gl #u Thr Tyr Ser Pro Lys 120                 1 #25                 1 #30                 1 #35 atc ttc cgg ccc aaa cac acc cgc atc tcc ga #g ctg aag gct gaa gca     1204 Ile Phe Arg Pro Lys His Thr Arg Ile Ser Gl #u Leu Lys Ala Glu Ala                 140   #               145   #               150 gtg aag aag gac cgc aga aag aag ctg acc ca #g tcc aag ttt gtc ggg     1252 Val Lys Lys Asp Arg Arg Lys Lys Leu Thr Gl #n Ser Lys Phe Val Gly             155       #           160       #           165 gga gcc gag aac act gcc cac ccc cgg atc at #c tct gca cct gag atg     1300 Gly Ala Glu Asn Thr Ala His Pro Arg Ile Il #e Ser Ala Pro Glu Met         170           #       175           #       180 aga cag gag tct gag cag ggc ccc tgc cgc ag #a cac atg gag gct tcc     1348 Arg Gln Glu Ser Glu Gln Gly Pro Cys Arg Ar #g His Met Glu Ala Ser     185               #   190               #   195 ctg cag gag ctc aaa gcc agc cca cgc atg gt #g ccc cgt gct gtg tac     1396 Leu Gln Glu Leu Lys Ala Ser Pro Arg Met Va #l Pro Arg Ala Val Tyr 200                 2 #05                 2 #10                 2 #15 ctg ccc aat tgt gac cgc aaa gga ttc tac aa #g aga aag cag tgc aaa     1444 Leu Pro Asn Cys Asp Arg Lys Gly Phe Tyr Ly #s Arg Lys Gln Cys Lys                 220   #               225   #               230 cct tcc cgt ggc cgc aag cgt ggc atc tgc tg #g tgc gtg gac aag tac     1492 Pro Ser Arg Gly Arg Lys Arg Gly Ile Cys Tr #p Cys Val Asp Lys Tyr             235       #           240       #           245 ggg atg aag ctg cca ggc atg gag tac gtt ga #c ggg gac ttt cag tgc     1540 Gly Met Lys Leu Pro Gly Met Glu Tyr Val As #p Gly Asp Phe Gln Cys         250           #       255           #       260 cac acc ttc gac agc agc aac gtt gag tga tg #cgtccccc cccaaccttt       1590 His Thr Phe Asp Ser Ser Asn Val Glu     265               #   270 ccctcacccc ctcccacccc cagccccgac tccagccagc gcctccctcc ac #cccaggac   1650 gccactcatt tcatctcatt taagggaaaa atatatatct atctatttga gg #aaaaaaaa   1710 aaaaaaaaaa aa               #                   #                   #     1722 <210> SEQ ID NO 11 <211> LENGTH: 21000 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Homo sapiens <220> FEATURE: <400> SEQUENCE: 11 ggagggaagg ggagacgaag ttactctcct cattgtgttc accctgctcc ga #agaactct     60 gtcttccact ggcccctcca cctcctcccc attctcggta gccccagcct gt #cccccttg    120 cccctttctt acattccggg gggaggaggg cgctgttcag aggggaggag gg #cgctgttc    180 agggagcgaa ggggagcccc cttgtgtcta gaaggcctct ccccaccccc ac #cccgtgtg    240 agtttgtact gcaaagctcc ttggcatcct tgcctgagtt gggtgttggg aa #gctcaaat    300 tgcagctaca aactggctgg cagccagggg ccggctattt aaaagcgcct gc #tctcccgg    360 agccccgtag tctctttgga aacttctgca ggggaaaaga gctaggaaag ag #ctgcaaag    420 cagtgtgggc tttttccctt ttttgctcct tttcattacc cctcctccgt tt #tcaccctt    480 ctccggactt cgcgtagaac ctgcgaattt cgaagaggag gtggcaaagt gg #gagaaaag    540 aggtgttagg gtttggggtt tttttgtttt tgtttttgtt ttttaatttc tt #gatttcaa    600 cattttctcc caccctctcg gctgcagcca acgcctctta cctgttctgc gg #cgccgcgc    660 accgctggca gctgagggtt agaaagcggg gtgtatttta gattttaagc aa #aaatttta    720 aagataaatc catttttctc tcccaccccc aacgccatct ccactgcatc cg #atctcatt    780 atttcggtgg ttgcttgggg gtgaacaatt ttgtggcttt ttttccccta ta #attctgac    840 ccgctcaggc ttgagggttt ctccggcctc cgctcactgc gtgcacctgg cg #ctgccctg    900 cttcccccaa cctgttgcaa ggctttaatt cttgcaactg ggacctgctc gc #aggcaccc    960 cagccctcca cctctctcta catttttgca agtgtctggg ggagggcacc tg #ctctacct   1020 gccagaaatt ttaaaacaaa aacaaaaaca aaaaaatctc cgggggccct ct #tggcccct   1080 ttatccctgc actctcgctc tcctgcccca ccccgaggta aagggggcga ct #aagagaag   1140 atggtgttgc tcaccgcggt cctcctgctg ctggccgcct atgcggggcc gg #cccagagc   1200 ctgggctcct tcgtgcactg cgagccctgc gacgagaaag ccctctccat gt #gccccccc   1260 agccccctgg gctgcgagct ggtcaaggag ccgggctgcg gctgctgcat ga #cctgcgcc   1320 ctggccgagg ggcagtcgtg cggcgtctac accgagcgct gcgcccaggg gc #tgcgctgc   1380 ctcccccggc aggacgagga gaagccgctg cacgccctgc tgcacggccg cg #gggtttgc   1440 ctcaacgaaa agagctaccg cgagcaagtc aagatcggtg agcgcgctca gt #gtgccagt   1500 cagttacgcg gcgcacgggc gggggacacg agaccggctg ggcccgcgcg ct #ttgcgcag   1560 caagtggctt cgagctgggg tgcagctcgg gagtagtcgg ggagggtcct tg #caccccgg   1620 aattggagcc ctggaggatc ctgctacccg ggggaactgt ctagccgagt ct #atcccagc   1680 tttcgctctt tctccttcct cctacccaca cgttgcccgc cccctccccc ta #ctctgtcc   1740 gaatactgat tctgagctct tattcggtca caaggtccaa atcccctggt ac #cctatcta   1800 cagtctgaaa gagtgtatgt tacattatca actccctcct ccacccccct cg #cgccccgc   1860 ataggttttt ttctgaactt ggaaaaaaaa tctcttttgt taaaatatta tt #ttaattgc   1920 ggcctggaga gagaggcatt acctatcttc tgagctaatt ccacctttgt cc #ctcttggc   1980 ccctccaccc ccgtgcctcc agacgtttct atccctccac ccctacacac ac #accacaaa   2040 caccccacat ccttggtagc taatgccttt cgggtgggag ccctgaagcc cc #tcccatgt   2100 gcataaccat tgctttttat tgaagatgat tgcctgtggt agatggtaaa ac #atatttaa   2160 ctgcaaaatg acttttattt tatcccagga agggaaaaaa atactttagg ag #tgcggggg   2220 tgcggggtgg gggtggggaa gagtagaaag gaagggtttg gtattctgtg cc #tggtgttc   2280 gtttctgaat ctaattcctt ttccccctct ccaattcaga ttttacctag ga #tgaaaggt   2340 ggacataggg ctgggaggca aaaggggatg tgagattcag agctttcaac tt #cctcgcct   2400 atgcagattc ctggcaccac caccacctcc acccccgccc cgcaattcct cc #ctccgcaa   2460 tccccccacc ccgccctccc caatctctta aaccagatca caagtgggtg tg #gattaagt   2520 gcatgagggg ccctggaaac gcagaatgca aaattcaggg ggcggagaca ga #aaagccac   2580 gcactgggag cctcgcctcc gcttgccccg cccccgggtt gcgccgcccc ca #aattctcg   2640 gcgccaggag tctagggttg aaatgattga cacagctact tgttcaatca ga #acagttct   2700 acccccttag actgagtttc tttttggaaa gagttacctg atctttagtt aa #aaaaaaaa   2760 aaagttaaat aaactacata aaagtctggg ttctaagacg tcaaactggc ta #ttgattct   2820 ctccaaaagg ggttaaaact tggctaaaca atgtttattt ggcgtagttt ag #ttacggag   2880 acagtttagt tacgggggca atccccttct ccctccctgt ccctttccgt ta #ctcacgag   2940 caccctaaca tgagttttct gaagtgcaaa tttcagtcac tatagtgcag ga #gaggagtg   3000 cgtccgcgct tgccaggagg ccggagagct tcctgtgttc agcctcagtc cc #cgcaaacc   3060 ctgcagggtt tgagtggcgc aggggccagc ccctctagct ttgcaagagg ta #gtcgatct   3120 ccaaacctgc aaaaagtcga tctttttgca ggttgcagcc tgcaaaaaga gg #aaaagggg   3180 aggatgtgca ggctctggga accccagaga ccggcttgtg agattatttt ta #ttaagatc   3240 cacttttcaa aggcggtcct gcccgccttc atcttggggg atgtggattt gg #aaaagcct   3300 agcggagaag gaaaacatta attgatttcc cggcttggga gccaccgccc tg #ggtaacaa   3360 tccagtcaca ccgaaagaac gtaaggtgtc actcagccgc atcctggctc ca #cttattat   3420 ttaccaagcg tgtagtgtga tgtggctagt gtgaagggtg tacacgcaga gc #gcacgcgc   3480 gcgcaattgc taggcgagca cggagggcgc atcacacaca cacacacaca ca #cacacaca   3540 cacacacaca cacgacactt cagtcccaag caagatcccc tgtagaattc cc #tgccgccc   3600 cttgctcaac ccccaccttc tgagtgcctt tgggccaacc cgaagccgcc tc #ttctaccc   3660 gccccctccc cagcactcct ctccgactcc accccgccga aggcaggtgc cc #ggccggct   3720 gctgttgcgg gttggcggcg ctccaccgct gctggtgccg acatcttctt cc #cgaacaga   3780 tgggatggga gtgggcgctc ctggaaaggg cgttttagcc ggacaaccac tg #ggcgggtc   3840 cccaaaaagt tggagatggt gtagagaccg ttcttaagga gagagaaatg ga #cagagaga   3900 gggagagtgc ccttttggtc ctttagccaa aattcctgct tcccaacaca cc #tcctacct   3960 ccctcctctc ccccaccccc gccaaaatct gagcttgcag atatggattt gc #cccctccc   4020 tcccgcagtt gcagcataca cacacacaca cacacacaca cacacacaca ca #cacacacg   4080 acatattata tctatataat tatatattgt atatatggta tatactatat ta #tatatatt   4140 tatatgtaac caaacatgta gaacccaaaa aaggtgcatt tctggaatca ga #aatgggga   4200 gcagaagaga gtgaggtggc aggcagccaa agcctctggg agggaaagga ga #gggcggag   4260 gagagggtgt tttgctaggc tgttgctgag caactggaga gggagtgggc cc #gagagcag   4320 ggtgctgaga gcgagcctgg ctctgcattt cattctggcc agttcaggag ca #gagataga   4380 tacggaaaaa agaatgtgtg tgaggctgga gggagatgaa agacgggagt ta #tttgatgg   4440 gcaaagctca gtaaatagcg gtgagtggag ggagtcaagg aagtactggg tt #tgctttcg   4500 ggcatttttg gtggggaatg aggtttgatg ggctggtccc cagcatagat ac #cggggttc   4560 gggtaggtct cctctgtgct ggtgagacat tcagtttaag atgtagggag cc #gtgggttc   4620 tggctttcgg ttctgtcatt aagaaatgag acaccgtggg acaaaaaata gg #cttctgga   4680 aaagaaagca aaagcattac ctaaataaaa gtgaattcag cctttgcttc tt #tgaggggt   4740 ttggcctcca tcaccctggc ttcaactcca agcctggtct aaaatgccat gt #tgaagtcg   4800 agttccagag ttaggtttat tggccaaatt tatgtctggg ttgagcaaga tc #atggaaaa   4860 ctgaaggagc caaattcctt tcccacccgc accccctccc tctgaaacaa gt #ctttgaga   4920 ggatggcgtg ccctgagcca accaaaacgg gagttgggaa aacgagatgg gg #ctttaact   4980 ggacttttct cgccacctcc gcccaccgcc cccgcccccg cccaccccgc cc #cccctccc   5040 ccacctttct gctgtgtcag ctcagactgg aagaacaagc agagttagcc ct #agtgagag   5100 ctcatattct ttccatttct ctttttcccc tttctcaccc ctccctccta ct #cttccctc   5160 cgaccttctc catccacccc ccgacccccc accccaactc taaggcatcc cc #tgagggct   5220 tgagttttaa gtcagagcag ctgtgagtta gtcccggggc ttgggctgga tt #tgagcagg   5280 caggtgggcc tgcagctgca gagggtggac cagcctgacc ctaggagcca ga #ggtcatcg   5340 tgagggttac agcaaagggc atgggagcag gaattccctg cagaagccct gg #ccccctta   5400 atggagcgaa gaagccagcg ggaagggaag gtaatacttg tctaaagttt ct #actttgta   5460 cctgagcaat gcctatgaaa cttttaagat atttagtgtg tggaaaataa aa #ctctggag   5520 aagagatcac cacactccag acccactaca tccagaaact ggaagaagat ca #taaagagc   5580 aggtaccaac caggggccag agcagaaggg aagagggtgg gagaatggct gc #gttgagtc   5640 aagcaggcga tttggagggg tttgtttagt tttacatttg ctttttctct ac #agttggtc   5700 caaaagctgc aattcccaga gactatcctt aaattgcaat caggacatgt ta #ttcaaaac   5760 agtaagactg attacacatt gattacatac ttgcaaaaat aaataataaa at #aaacaagg   5820 atggcagtgt aggcttctac tcccctcccc caataccagt gaaatccccc cc #ttttattt   5880 ccagtttcat ttctttccat aaattctgtt atgatgtcat ttctctctct ct #ctctcttt   5940 ttaaaaaata taaatccaga ggagtgactg aaaatctctg tgaggaggag ag #gttatatt   6000 cccaccttgg ccactatgct gttggtttag agcacctaac caggttagtt ag #ttagtgcc   6060 tggccactca gcttagctca gtcctagtgt ctctccagga attgtctggg ta #ttggccaa   6120 ataatgttaa agctggaagg aacccatagc catcatcaca gtcaaggtcc ta #gttttaga   6180 atgaggatac tgaggccctg agtgggaagt cacttgccca agatgtggca gc #agggttag   6240 agacagacaa ggggctggga ctcagctctt tcccgcaggg gctccagcac tg #cattcagc   6300 cattcctggc tttctcgcta gtcactgggg ctcatgcctg gacctgggct aa #cctgcagt   6360 aaggcctttg gcaaacactg ccagatgcta tcactccatg acataagaac cc #ataatctg   6420 aaggcactct gttttagggg cagtaggaaa aggagtgaag cggccccaaa gt #ggagaggg   6480 ccacactctc ttattttcac actcacttct gtcccttttt ctacacagtc tt #gcatacaa   6540 gcctggctta ggctagtggt ttggtcagag aaagaggacc aagagggtgt ga #aggagggg   6600 tgttcacccc agctttcagg tccatgcgcc aaacctcatt ttctacatga ca #ggaagctc   6660 tcctgatgtg gagaggcagg caggcctggc tgcctctgag ctgtgcagcg gc #ctgtagtc   6720 ttgaagaaca tggtgcagaa gtggcccgct tccaacagca cagtcctcac gt #ggtgccaa   6780 cagaaagcag agatcgagag agggtgtggt tggatggggt gagtgcagta ac #taggaagt   6840 tctgcatccg aaggagagaa ggaaaaccat ataccaccaa agctgataag ga #agagagca   6900 tgagggcccc ctggctttct ttcataggca gatgtgtctc agatctttca gc #aggagagg   6960 agagatgtgc ttccagaggg cagctgggga cttctggttg tgctgcagga ag #tgctgaga   7020 cccattctaa tacatcctgg aggccgtggc agctcctcct tctgggatgc tt #aggaagga   7080 ggcagataag ataggcccct ttttccggta agtcagacct gccaggtgaa ct #ataggaac   7140 attttaaacg aactcagtta tctcatgttt gatccctcaa cctaaaccat ca #ggcccctt   7200 tccctggcct aaaataaggt cccactgaat ctgcactcag agccaggcct ca #gatgacct   7260 ctgctgattc tctgagttgt ttaatgtggg ttccagttat cccgaactgg ga #ctgcgaca   7320 cccctctgtc acctcagcca ggatgactct tcttccagat catttagaac ag #cacttcca   7380 attgaaacat aatacaagcc atatttgtca tttttaattt tctggtagcc ac #atcttttt   7440 taaaaaggta aaaaaaacag ggaaattaat tgtaataata cattttaact ga #atatatcc   7500 aaaatatcct ttcaccacac gctcaaaata aaacaattat aatgagatat tt #tacattct   7560 ttccttcata tttagccttt gaaatccggt gttttttaca cttacagctc at #ctcaattc   7620 agacactaaa ttttcattgg aaatacttga tctgtattta gatttcataa aa #tttacagt   7680 tgaaaaagca gagtcacata cctgaggcat tccaaacata ctttaaaatc tt #tccaataa   7740 ctgagttgag tatctgtttt taaatttaaa ctaattaaaa ttaaataaat at #taaataaa   7800 ttttaaaatg tggttcctca gttccccggg ccacatttca gatgttccgt at #gtatctgc   7860 acatggttaa tggctaccag caaacccctc tctcacctga gaaggcaact gc #tgtcccca   7920 ctctttcctt ttgctcccaa agactcaaaa aaggggagtc tcagctttcg tt #gacagaca   7980 gggctccctt gtttggtccc tagcagagcc tgggcacctt cttcggggcc tc #aggagaga   8040 agcgtaaacc ctacttcctc cctgccgccc ccttctggtc atgcagaact tt #ggggggat   8100 gtggctgtgg ctggcaatgt tctgaactgg ctgtgatggg tcatgatggg aa #agtggcca   8160 ggagaaaagc tgcccagtgc ttcctccaga ggctgctccc cacctatccc cc #caccatta   8220 ccttctcatt tggggaatgt atgaggaaca gacagacact tctactaagc at #gctccccc   8280 ttccccaact ccaaaagaag cttggctgga gattctcagc cagggacttg tg #catcagtg   8340 tgtatttcct atgtgtacag ttatcgccag ctgcttccca gggaccaaga aa #tgtgaacc   8400 agagtcacaa ccccaaatcc tagtttggca tcagaaaaca acaaggagcc tc #tctttacc   8460 tctggtccct ggacagtggg gcagatgtaa gggggacctc agccccttac tc #tgtgaggt   8520 gtcaccttcc cacctgtggc atctacactg tggagggcgg tgggccccct tt #tctctata   8580 tatcttcagg gaaggaggct aagtgccctt aacgcagcat gaaggaatgg gg #ttaggcag   8640 aggaaggact cccaggggga gctctctaag tggagacggg tccggagagc ac #ctgtgcca   8700 agtcctcacc tggtgttggc caacagaccc ccagagacaa aggtcgagcc aa #cactttct   8760 ggcagacctt cctgcagtcc aaggagcctc agatcttgtg gtctacaagt ag #gcgtctgt   8820 caaccaggtg tcacagcaac caaattttta gttgatgatt cgaactaggg ag #gtggtagg   8880 aaacagcact acaaaggcag agacctgttc tgagagtgaa ttagcatgca tc #accctgat   8940 taatcctcag aatataatgg agaaggggcc attgccatcc tccccataac ac #aggtgaga   9000 aaactgaatt ggaaagagga agaagaaagt aaggtctttg ggaggctgag gt #gggtggat   9060 cacgagctca agagatcaag accatcctgg gcgtggtgct gcatgccttt ag #tcccagct   9120 actcaagagg ctgaggcagg agaatcattt gaacctggga ggagagggtt gc #agtgagcc   9180 aagatcatgc cactgcactc cagcctggcg acagagtgag actccgtctc aa #aaaaaaaa   9240 aaaaaaaaag aaaggtcaaa gtaaatctgt accaaggttt gtttatttat tt #atttttag   9300 aaacaaggtc tcactctgtc acccaggctg gagtgcagtg gcacaatcat gg #ctcactgc   9360 agcctccaac tcctgggttc aagccatcct cccttctcag actccccatt gc #taggacta   9420 taggtgcaca ctgccacgcc cggctaatat ttcattttat gtagagatgg gg #tcttgctg   9480 tgttgccaaa gctgcatcaa ggtttactga gctattgtca acagcttcat ct #tcctccca   9540 gaaaggacag ctgaaggttt agggtggcac agtttgctgt acctattcag ta #gtggagct   9600 gggatttgaa cccaggtggt ctggttcctg attctgaatg gttatccact at #actacatg   9660 gtgtctgtat ttctctggta aggatagaga tatattccca gcttggccag ct #ttgctgtt   9720 ggtttagagt acctaaccat gctatttctc ccggcctaaa atggggtagg gg #ggctcagc   9780 tgggtacacc tatagccctc atcatccagt cagtagttct ctaagtctgc tc #aactcccc   9840 tccggggtct tcctcctggc tttcctccat tcttacagct gctttttagg at #gacagctt   9900 tgggtttttt ttttttctta aaaggttagt gctcatttcc tcctcagccc at #aattcagg   9960 ttaaaaagaa cccggaacat gcatgcctat ttctgacgat caagtaaaaa ca #aaaacaaa  10020 caaacaaaaa acaaaaacaa aaaaaaatgt cttctgagag agactggcgc ca #ggcagctg  10080 ctggtcagag atgggatggg taggaaaaga aatgatgttg ccacttccct gg #aagtgtcc  10140 acagcacctt ccccctgcca caaccactgt ggcctttctc cttctgcaaa tg #cacacaca  10200 caagcgcaga aaagccattt gacatccaca gctgggaaac agacttcaag ag #actgagac  10260 atgtcttaca ttttttcaaa cagtgaacag ccaatccctc atgcttccac ca #gccttgtg  10320 ttgtagggag gggctggtgg ctgcaagttg gctagggacc tagggttggc aa #gggaggag  10380 ggggactgca gaacattcta gactgggcct cagtattttc atccataccc ag #gcacaagt  10440 cagtgccgtc aggccagcac tgaccaggac tttctgcaat gatggaagcg tt #gcaggtct  10500 gcaatgtcca tatgtggcca cgaagtcctt gaaatatggc tagagtgact ga #ggagctga  10560 atttttcatt ttatttaata tttatttaaa tagccacatt ggctagtggc ta #ccatatta  10620 aatatatact tttttttttt tttttgtcac actattgccc aggggggaat gt #agtggcac  10680 gatcttggct cactgcaacc tccgcctccc aggttcaagt gattctcctg cc #tcagcttc  10740 ccgagcagct gggattacag gcacacacca ccatgcctgg ctgatttttt at #ttttagta  10800 gagacagggt tttaccatgt tggccaggct ggtctcgaac tcctgacctt gt #gatccaac  10860 ctccttggcc tcccaaagtg ctgggattac aggcgtgagc caccatgcct gg #cctaagta  10920 gtacattaat atatagtagc cttaggccaa agagaagccc agtgaatcca gg #agcacccc  10980 tgctgtttct cacacccatg acgctcatct gtctgcttcc ctgtgccctg cg #gcagggtt  11040 atcttgctcc agggcaggag catggatgag ataacctccc aaggcatgca ct #gggctcta  11100 agccccagct tatattacag aaatacttcc agacctactt ctctttgcct ct #tgggcaga  11160 tttacacatc tctccattta aaggttattt attgaatact atatgctggt ga #gacaaaga  11220 gaaatgacaa agctctgccc gtaagaagtt ggctgtttaa attccacagg gg #ggactaga  11280 atgaaaccca gaacaaattc agctcccttt ttcattcttt gtagagagat tc #taggcgtc  11340 ctcatcttat cttctgtcta gaaaaggaga tgggagaatc tccccaggtc tg #ggtggcct  11400 ggcaaagccc gacactcttc ctggactgtg aatttcaagg atgcctctgt tt #cttcgatt  11460 tttgtaagct aaggcacaat atctgggtca cctagttttc tcttacaatt ga #ttattagg  11520 tcaagtgaga tagagtgata aactaacacc agcccaggaa caggctgtta at #agcaccgg  11580 ggtgtggcta agaggtccgg gggcgggggg tttagatttt aggcaggcag gt #ctcctgga  11640 tccatccatt gctgtgacca gcaagcaagg tggagtcaga acccttcaga ct #ctactgga  11700 agagaacagc cgtggcaaaa gggcaggttt ggagaaagtg gttgagcttg gg #cagggtac  11760 atgcgttgtg caattgtgca gcatggagta tttctcaccc taagatgcct ct #gggtctgt  11820 agcagctggg cttgcatcat gacactctct gtgtttgcca ggacatagag ga #tggtgcaa  11880 tcctcaaaca cgtgttcatg ttaccatggg gagaggctga tgtactgtgt gt #gcctctgt  11940 ggatgctgct gcactggggt gtatggggaa ctccttatga atgaaagagg ac #tgagttgg  12000 ccacccaaat gtggcagggg ccagaggcat tggagagcca gtgggaagga ct #ggaggtat  12060 tatatagaag ccagagattt agatcccacc ccaaaggtaa atactgtatc ca #gataatat  12120 tatcatcatc ccctccctta gtcattgaat agggttatga aggtaaggtc tg #gcctccat  12180 agatcccagc aggagaaatg gatgctgagc attccacatt tcccatcctc tg #caaaaacc  12240 tctcagaaca gcatctcatg ggcggggaag tctggaatat gtctctcttc ct #tcctggat  12300 cattttccag ttggaggtta cagaaacagc agaatgccat gcacaaacaa gc #cctgttcc  12360 cctctccctc acctgccttc actctcccac acatgggttc tctccgggcc tc #gcttgttt  12420 gtctccctga ctctttaaat atatcctgca gacacacaaa cagaaggaag gg #atttattt  12480 gaatgattat tgcagaagta ggagagggag gcacccaaat tccagattta tt #ttttcttt  12540 gagacagggt ctcactctgt cccccaggct agagtgcagt ggagctatca aa #gtggagca  12600 atcatggctc acctcagcct cagcctcaac ctccaatctc caacctccta cc #tccaacct  12660 cccaccttcc gggctcaagc aatcctccgg tctcagcctc ctgagtttct ca #gactagag  12720 gcgcacgcct ctatgcccag ctaatttttg tgtttttttt gtagagacgg gg #tttcacta  12780 tgttgtccag gctggtctcg aactcctggg ctcaggcaat ccactcacct tg #gcctccca  12840 aagtgctggg attagagata tgagccaccg ctctcaattc caaattccag at #tttaaaaa  12900 cacttccagg ccgggcttgg tggctcacgc ctgtaatccc agctctttgg ga #ggccaagg  12960 cgggcggatc acgaggtcag gagatcgaga ccatcctggc taacacggtg aa #accccatc  13020 tctactaaaa atacaaaaaa ttagccgggc atggtggcgg gcgcctgtag tc #ccagctac  13080 tcgggaggat gaggcaggag aatggcgtaa acccaggagg cggagcttac ag #tgagccga  13140 gatcgcgcca ctgcactcca gcctgggcga cagaaggaga ctctgtctca aa #aaaaaaaa  13200 acaaaaaacg cttccagtcc ctagaagtgt gcccatgctg tgtgggtgtc ag #tctcccac  13260 gccctctgct ggccacatgg agatattgac ctgtttgtca aacaggttcc ag #agcagact  13320 gttgagttct tttgctgttc acgtgcagaa caatcttcac caggaagtcc tc #ccgggtat  13380 cctgcctaga tcccttctgc aacctcagtt cattttctct tgatgaaata gc #tccagagt  13440 agccagtcta cttgttcctt cttgttttat ctaaaacgca aagccttcca ca #attgaaag  13500 cctatttatg actcagccac agagcagctg agtcgggctg gctgcttctg gc #actcagct  13560 ccagtcttac tttccagccc tttaatctcc atggctctgc cctggctccc ct #ccaagttt  13620 ccgctgtctc tctggagcct acaggtgacc acaagaccct gattagtatc tt #cgacactg  13680 gactctgctg ctgcctaagg aataggtccc atggggttaa gtggcaccag aa #accaggag  13740 gcacatcaaa atgttaagcc tgctcttcag aagcagccaa aaagcttgca aa #gctgggga  13800 aggtgtgccc tcaggagact tgccttgggg aggctgggaa aaggagagag tt #tgcaaaag  13860 cattttgagt tccttaaatg aagagagata caagaatcta cattttgtat gc #cagtatca  13920 tggttgcttg gccccggggc agtacttgaa cactttcaaa gaaaagagta ag #agaggtca  13980 aaataaattt accccaaggt ttatcaaacc gttgtcaaca gccccatccc cc #tcccagaa  14040 agggtgactc aaggttaagg acagcccaca gcacttctta gaaaaagtcc ca #aaaggtga  14100 aaggtcttga gaagagctgt tgagggaagg ctgtgggcca ccatgcttct gt #gtccccca  14160 aggccaaaga gagaataagc taaaatgaca gctggaaaag ggcaccctct ga #ccaaatgg  14220 acagagcctc ccccaacagg tagccagagg aggatggaat ggcaccccca tt #tcagatgt  14280 ccttaagaac tagagagata gatgcttatt tctgcttgga cacaggggga tg #gactaaat  14340 ggcctacgga aaggattcca ggaactgcta caccagccac aggagagaag cc #agcttccc  14400 aggctgtctc cccttgaaga ggtgacaatg tgttggctct ccaggccagg ct #ggggcagc  14460 ccactgaagg agacgcatag acgcatgcgc tggtcagcag ccagcccact cc #cccacctg  14520 ccctcacttt atccagttac aatcttgatt gaggaagggg tccaggcttc tc #caatctga  14580 accccctcca ggctttcagt agccaccata tcctgtctgc ccctccccct ac #agtagtca  14640 actacttttt gaggattaaa atgcgtggtg atgctgaggt tgagtggcac gg #ctccagtc  14700 cctccataag acgtgcccaa aagcccttct gtgcaatggt tagcactccc tc #tccctact  14760 ccctcttctc caagatctga gccttggcgt gaggcctgtg ttactagata ac #ggagcccc  14820 agcctttcaa tttgtacaaa gtccccaaac cagccatgct tctcccttcc tc #ctgccaat  14880 ctcacttgcg ctacaaccaa gaaaagtcaa tttaccccag aacatgaccc tt #ttaactaa  14940 tccctagaat cctgcattcc acctaccaga gatgtcaccc tattgatgag tc #gtcacagc  15000 agggtctgat agagcagaat cgaggtactg ggacatcaag acatgactgg ga #agaggggg  15060 tgagagtcca gaaggggtac caggattctc aggttgaatt ttatttaggg ag #agcccacc  15120 caccaccttg ctatttgctt tccccaagtc atcatcttcc tctccagtaa tt #acgtccct  15180 tcctttcctg tgaataaata cccaaagcaa ctcaccacca ggaacgctgc ga #acctttgg  15240 aggcttcttt agggcaggga ccttctctgc caaggcctta aagaccagat ac #ctatttca  15300 ttagacttga caaatcctga gccaagagag aaacagatgc ttgggtgctt cc #tgccacct  15360 gccatcctgc ccaggttagg ccaggtgtcc aaatgccttt cctaactcac ac #ctggaact  15420 tgcccagggc tgcaagctca gaagtcaggt tctatacctg cccagaggca ta #aaacagcg  15480 tcttctcaaa aaagcttctc tttccttgca ccccaccccc acttcctgga at #tctaccca  15540 cttcttctgt tccccatccc agatgtctgg cggtcactgt tcctggacat cc #cagtgatc  15600 atggagtaga tggagaacag aattttcttt cacctcattt cagttattta ag #gtcactca  15660 aagctctatt ttctctttcc agtatttgaa aaaagaggga ggcaatgaag ac #agggcccc  15720 ccacctccac tcacccctgc atctggtccc actgtgaggc atcctggcca ca #cgctgccc  15780 gcctggaaac aacaatctaa agttccccca ttctggttcc tctgaggctg gg #ggaggtca  15840 aggatctgag aggagaaggg gacccaggga tggatgccta tgagatcaga at #ttagggga  15900 aaactgcgca ccaagaaaag gccggacggg tggaattaag gatcaacaaa ta #catcaaca  15960 aagtctgact tctctaaagg tcaaaagcca gctaagtata gactgtcagc aa #gccactcc  16020 tatatataac tgtcccggtc tcagccagct gtcggcctct ctcagtccag ag #ctgagtaa  16080 cgtcccagcc tcccaggccc ccgagcaccg cgccagttct gagccagagc ag #gagcaagg  16140 cctccgactt ccacttggcc ccacgccggt cccctccggg cctacatttc tg #gctctccc  16200 ctcccctcct cctgccgctt atgaaggtcc tcaccaccct gctgctccag ac #cccaggac  16260 cccctcctcc taggttcccc aggtccaaag agacctcaac atccagcagc tc #tgaaagtg  16320 caaagatctc actaacagga cagcctttgc ccttctcgtc cacgccctga ct #gtgtcatc  16380 tgcctccatg ggcccagatt cccgggttcc tacttctcag ccccacctcc ag #ccatgtcc  16440 catctacttg gccatccccc agcaagcaaa ccgctcgctg ccaccttcat cc #ttgcagag  16500 gccattttcc ttgcccttcc tccttactgc ccccagaagg cctgctccgt cc #tcacccat  16560 cagtctgtca gtctctcgat tctcctcctc tgtgaagcct ccctgcctgc ac #tctctgct  16620 tgactccaag catgccagaa acttcctgcc acttaaatga gcattccctc tg #cttcctgg  16680 ttcttatccc cctgctttca gggtgtgctc caggagggca gagacacatc tg #cttcagcc  16740 tttattactc ccctcacccc aaactgccca gccctgggct ctggccgtgt gc #accttggc  16800 ccacgggggc tgaccctccg gctccttctc ctgcagagag agactcccgt ga #gcacgagg  16860 agcccaccac ctctgagatg gccgaggaga cctactcccc caagatcttc cg #gcccaaac  16920 acacccgcat ctccgagctg aaggctgaag cagtgaagaa ggaccgcaga aa #gaagctga  16980 cccagtccaa gtttgtcggg ggagccgaga acactgccca cccccggatc at #ctctgcac  17040 ctgagatgag acaggagtct gagcaggtgc atctcgggga ttccctcatt cc #ctcccagc  17100 ttttgacctt ttcctgcatc taaatggaca ttcatggcgg caggaggtgc ta #gactagac  17160 ccagcagagg acctacagcc caccatgtgg ctcagcttag gacgtgggag ta #gagtttcc  17220 agagcataca cttgtcaggg ccaagggctt gtgcaagtaa gtgggaatag ag #gcggtgct  17280 catttgagga gagtgtgtgc cagcccagcg gccacgtacc aggtacctgg gc #cctgcagc  17340 tgtgtccagt ccaaggcaga gactgaatat tctcctagag catctagaaa tg #ggcacctc  17400 tggacattgt tactcagcag aagagaaaag ctgcagggga gggggtggac tg #gaacacaa  17460 aagagaaagt atgactccgt acctggccaa aggcaggctt tgtatgatcc ca #gcgcacgt  17520 gacaggtgac agggaggaaa gatctttggt agcagatgat tagaaccaaa gg #tggtgact  17580 ttcctccaga gacccttcag cccccacccc ctgggccatt cgtcagcgca gc #tgggtggt  17640 tttcccttgg tctcgccacg cctctcaccc tcctgtccac acagggcccc tg #ccgcagac  17700 acatggaggc ttccctgcag gagctcaaag ccagcccacg catggtgccc cg #tgctgtgt  17760 acctgcccaa ttgtgaccgc aaaggattct acaagagaaa gcaggtacgt cc #cctgccct  17820 gagctccagg ctcagactgc tccaaaaatg gcacctgcca ggaaactcca cc #ttgggcaa  17880 gtgcctaagg tttccaccgt taaccactta gtgtttcctg ggcctcagat ac #ccattcat  17940 ataccacgat catgactttc cacattccct actatgctgt aatccatttc ct #cattctct  18000 cctatgcggt aatccactat gctttccaca ggtcgcctta gctacatgaa tt #ccttgcaa  18060 aaggtaactc tgtaacacta tcgcacagca cgtatcattg gtgcaccgca ca #ctcaggaa  18120 tttaaaccat attttctctg tgaaccacct gaaatcagtt catgtccctt ca #cagccagg  18180 ctctcctttg ggcaatggtt cttagatttc caagggcatc ctatccctgg ag #ggcatggc  18240 tgatggctgg gccccacccc tgcagtttct gattggtaga cctggggtgg ac #tccggggt  18300 ggacacgtga ccctgatgct gctttaaggg caccaataat ctaaatgtaa ga #gccaggcc  18360 acactggggc aaatcttggc tctgccactt actagctgtg tcctgttact ca #ccatttaa  18420 tgtctctgtg cctccagacc cttgtgtaaa atggtgaatg aggagtgagt ga #ttggtctt  18480 tgtaaagcac ttagaacagt acctactgcc taccaaacgt tgagtggtgt ct #actacatg  18540 ataacaccac aaatcatgcc tccttctgtt attattatta ccatcatcat ta #ttattgga  18600 tcataactct cttgagaatc cctgcagagt ttcacgttgg gggaactcaa at #gggtaata  18660 tttaaaacgg gactataagc caggcacagt ggctcacgcc tgtaatccca gc #tactccag  18720 aggctgaggc aggaagatca cttgggctca ggagttttag accaacctgg gc #aacataac  18780 gggaccccat gtctgaaaaa aaaaaaagga aagaaaggga ttgaaggagc tt #gccaaggg  18840 taggctgcct aaattcacat tttccctggg tctttccgtg aaatggggac ac #cagaaacc  18900 caagggtcgg gtctagtgcc ctcaactctc tggggatgag agtcttgcct tg #gggtagac  18960 aagaggcagg gcagggagga gcagagccct ggggtgcggc cgtcctcacc gc #ctgttgct  19020 ctactcaccc cagtgcaaac cttcccgtgg ccgcaaacgt ggcatctgct gg #tgcgtgga  19080 caagtacggg atgaagctgc caggcatgga gtacgttgac ggggactttc ag #tgccacac  19140 cttcgacagc agcaacgttg agtgatgcgt ccccccccaa cctttccctc ac #cccctccc  19200 acccccagcc ccgactccag ccagcgcctc cctccacccc aggacgccac tc #atttcatc  19260 tcatttaagg gaaaaatata tatctatcta tttgaggaaa ctgaggacct cg #gaatctct  19320 agcaagggct caacttcgaa aatggcaaca acagagatgc aaaaagctaa aa #agacaccc  19380 ccccccttta aatggttttc tttttgaggc aagttggatg aacagagaag gg #aagagagg  19440 aagaacgaga ggaagagaag ggaaggaagt gtttgtgtag aagagagaga aa #gacgaata  19500 gagttaggaa aaggaagaca agcaggtggg caggaaggac atgcaccgag ac #caggcagg  19560 ggcccaactt tcacgtccag ccctggcctg gggtcgggag aggtgggcgc ta #gaagatgc  19620 agcccaggat gtggcaatca atgacactat tggggtttcc caggatggat tg #gtcagggg  19680 gagaaaggaa aaggcaaaac actccaggac ctctcccgga tctgtctcct cc #tctagcca  19740 gcagtatgga cagctggacc cctgaacttc ctctcctctt acctgggcag ag #tgttgtct  19800 ctccccaaat ttataaaaac taaaatgcat tccattcctc tgaaagcaaa ac #aaattcat  19860 aattgagtga tattaaatag agaggttttc ggaagcagat ctgtgaatat ga #aatacatg  19920 tgcatatttc attccccagg cagacatttt ttagaaatca atacatgccc ca #atattgga  19980 aagacttgtt cttccacggt gactacagta catgctgaag cgtgccgttt ca #gccctcat  20040 ttaattcaat ttgtaagtag cgcagcagcc tctgtggggg aggataggct ga #aaaaaaaa  20100 agtgggctcg tatttatcta caggactcca tatagtcata tataggcata ta #aatctatt  20160 ctttttcttt gtttttttct ttcttccttt ctttcaaagg tttgcattaa ct #tttcaaag  20220 tagttcctat aggggcattg aggagcttcc tcattctggg aaaactgaga aa #acccatat  20280 tctcctaata caacccgtaa tagcattttt gcctgcctcg aggcagagtt tc #ccgtgagc  20340 aataaactca gcttttttgt ggggcacagt actggatttg acagtgattc cc #cacgtgtg  20400 ttcatctgca cccaccgagc caggcagagg ccagccctcc gtggtgcaca ca #gcacgcgc  20460 ctcagtccat cccattttag tctttaaacc ctcaggaagt cacagtctcc gg #acaccaca  20520 ccacatgagc ccaacaggtc cacgatggat ccaccagtcc caccccagcc tt #ttcctttc  20580 atctgaacag aatgtgcatt tttggaagcc tccctcactc tccatgctgg ca #gagcagga  20640 gggagactga agtaagagat ggcagaggga gatggtggca aaaaggttta ga #tgcaggag  20700 aacagtaaga tggatggttc cggccagagt cgatgtgggg aggaacagag gg #ctgaaggg  20760 agagggggct gactgttcca ttctagcttt ggcacaaagc agcagaaagg gg #gaaaagcc  20820 aatagaaatt tccttagctt ccccaccata tgtattttct aggatttgag ag #gaaagaga  20880 ggaaaatggg ggaatgggtt gcaaaataga aatgagctta atccaggccg ca #gagccagg  20940 gaaggtgagt aactttagga gggtgctaga ctttagaagc cagataggaa ga #atcagtct  21000 <210> SEQ ID NO 12 <211> LENGTH: 374 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Homo sapiens <220> FEATURE: <400> SEQUENCE: 12 gttgtctctc cccaaattta taaaaactaa aatgcattcc attcctctga aa #gcaaaaca     60 aattcataat tgagtgatat taaatagaga ggttttcgga agcagatctg tg #aatatgaa    120 atacatgtgc atatttcatt ccccaggcag acatttttta gaaatcaata ca #tgccccaa    180 tattggaaag acttgttctt ccacggtgac tacagtacat gctgaagcgt gc #cgtttcag    240 ccctcattta attcaatttg taagtagcgc agcagcctct gtgggggagg at #aggctgaa    300 aaaaaaaagt gggctcgtat ttatctacag gactccatat agtcatatat ag #gcatataa    360 atctaaaaaa aaaa               #                   #                   #    374 <210> SEQ ID NO 13 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 13 gagcaacacc atcttctctt             #                   #                   # 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 14 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 14 taggcggcca gcagcaggag             #                   #                   # 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 15 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 15 gcgtgcagcg gcttctcctc             #                   #                   # 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 16 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 16 cagcagggcg tgcagcggct             #                   #                   # 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 17 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 17 ttcgttgagg caaaccccgc             #                   #                   # 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 18 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 18 ctcttttcgt tgaggcaaac             #                   #                   # 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 19 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 19 gtagctcttt tcgttgaggc             #                   #                   # 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 20 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 20 tttctgcggt ccttcttcac             #                   #                   # 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 21 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 21 agcttctttc tgcggtcctt             #                   #                   # 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 22 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 22 actgggtcag cttctttctg             #                   #                   # 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 23 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 23 aacttggact gggtcagctt             #                   #                   # 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 24 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 24 cctgtctcat ctcaggtgca             #                   #                   # 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 25 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 25 catgcgtggg ctggctttga             #                   #                   # 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 26 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 26 ggcaccatgc gtgggctggc             #                   #                   # 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 27 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 27 tgggcaggta cacagcacgg             #                   #                   # 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 28 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 28 tagaatcctt tgcggtcaca             #                   #                   # 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 29 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 29 tcttgtagaa tcctttgcgg             #                   #                   # 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 30 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 30 gctttctctt gtagaatcct             #                   #                   # 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 31 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 31 gtcctcagtt tcctcaaata             #                   #                   # 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 32 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 32 ccgaggtcct cagtttcctc             #                   #                   # 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 33 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 33 agattccgag gtcctcagtt             #                   #                   # 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 34 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 34 gctagagatt ccgaggtcct             #                   #                   # 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 35 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 35 cccttgctag agattccgag             #                   #                   # 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 36 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 36 cctaactcta ttcgtctttc             #                   #                   # 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 37 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 37 ggagaggtcc tggagtgttt             #                   #                   # 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 38 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 38 gatctgcttc cgaaaacctc             #                   #                   # 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 39 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 39 ctttgcagct ctttcctagc             #                   #                   # 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 40 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 40 cttgcaaaaa tgtagagaga             #                   #                   # 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 41 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 41 gctttggctg cctgccacct             #                   #                   # 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 42 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 42 ctgcaggaga aggagccgga             #                   #                   # 20 <210> SEQ ID NO 43 <211> LENGTH: 20 <212> TYPE: DNA <213> ORGANISM: Artificial Sequence <220> FEATURE: <223> OTHER INFORMATION: Antisense Oligonucleotide <400> SEQUENCE: 43 actgtagtca ccgtggaaga             #                   #                   # 20 

What is claimed is:
 1. An antisense oligonucleotide 8 to 50 nucleobases in length targeted to nucleobases 580 through 599 nucleobases or nucleobases 676 through 728 of a coding region, nucleobases 996 through 1205 or nucleobases 1579 through 1598 of a 3′ untranslated region of a nucleic acid molecule (SEQ ID NO: 3) encoding insulin-like growth factor binding protein 5, nucleobases 11 through 30 or nucleobases 584 through 603 of a nucleic acid molecule (SEQ ID NO: 10) encoding insulin-like growth factor binding protein 5, nucleobases 4214 through 4233 of an intron region or nucleobases 16817 through 16836 of an intron/exon junction region of a nucleic acid molecule (SEQ ID NO: 11) encoding insulin-like growth factor binding protein 5, or nucleobases 197 through 216 of a 3′ untranslated region of a nucleic acid molecule (SEQ ID NO: 12) encoding insulin-like growth factor binding protein 5, wherein said oligonuclectide specifically hybridizes with one of said regions and inhibits the expression of insulin-like growth factor binding protein
 5. 2. The antisense oligonucleotide of claim 1 wherein the antisense oligonucleotide has a sequence comprising SEQ ID No: 15, 18, 23, 24, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 33, 34, 35, 36, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42 or
 43. 3. The antisense oligonucleotide of claim 1 wherein the antisense oligonucleotide comprises at least one modified internucleoside linkage.
 4. The antisense oligonucleotide of claim 3 wherein the modified initernucleoside linkage is a phosphorothioate linkage.
 5. The antisense oligonucleotide of claim 1 wherein the antisense oligonucleotide comprises at least one modified sugar moiety.
 6. The antisense oligonucleotide of claim 5 wherein the modified sugar moiety is a 2′-o-methoxyethyl sugar moiety.
 7. The antisense oligonucleotide of claim 1 wherein the antisense oligonucleotide comprises at least one modified nucleobase.
 8. The antisense oligonucleotide of claim 7 wherein the modified nucleobase is a 5-methylcytosine.
 9. The antisense oligonucleotide of claim 1 wherein the antisense oligonucleotide is a chimeric oligonucleotide.
 10. A composition comprising the antisense oligonucleotide of claim 1 and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier or diluent.
 11. The composition of claim 10 further comprising a colloidal dispersion system.
 12. A method of inhibiting the expression of insulin-like growth factor binding protein 5 in cells or tissues in vitro comprising contacting said cells or tissues in vitro with the antisense oligonucleotide of claim 1 so that expression of insulin-like growth factor binding protein 5 is inhibited.
 13. An antisense oligonucleotide consisting of SEQ ID NO: 14, 16, 17, 19, 21 or
 25. 